Engineers at Formula 1 motor racing team McLaren have developed a respirator prototype to protect frontline NHS staff from COVID-19.
It’s hoped that the personal respirator, which consists of a fabric hood connected to an air filter, could soon be used in UK hospitals.
The device, developed in partnership with University of Southampton medical staff, is connected to a small portable unit that supplies clean air.
It uses readily available components and has an open-source design, meaning it could potentially be modified by medical teams globally.
If tests are successful, the device could help meet a high demand for personal protective equipment for healthcare workers.
A prototype of a personal respirator they have developed for frontline healthcare staff tackling the Covid-19 pandemic
Successful deployment of the device on a large scale would help ensure the safety of NHS staff, who are put at great risk of being infected while doing their job.
‘We must minimise the risk of infection for medical staff and stop them getting sick at the peak of the pandemic, so they can care for others,’ said Paul Elkington, professor of respiratory medicine at the University of Southampton.
‘The engineering team have rapidly developed something simple yet effective.’
The mask consists of a fabric hood that covers the head with an integrated platsic visor to protect the fact
It connects to a small portable unit that straps around the wearer’s waist that supplies clean, filtered air
Elkington said the filter removes 99.95 per cent of particulate matter in the air, while the hood protects the wearer from ‘splashes’.
Making the design specification accessible online means the device could be manufactured in any country without facing export delays or restrictions, the University of Southampton said.
Meanwhile, engineers at the University of Sheffield are using 3D printers to produce face shields for frontline medics.
The engineers formed in response after organisers from the 3DCrowd UK initiative made a national call to action last week.
The project is looking to quickly manufacture face shields in bulk to provide for healthcare workers in Sheffield and throughout Yorkshire.
Production will take place in the university’s iForge centre, which is the UK’s first facility run by engineering students.
‘Doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers across the country are in need of personal protective equipment and many staff are anxious about not having the right equipment and potentially exposing themselves to infection,’ said project leader Dr Pete Mylon, a University of Sheffield engineer.
The University of Sheffield is also leading a project to rapidly manufacture face shields for doctors and healthcare workers. Its 3D-printed face shields are to be distributed to frontline healthcare workers who may be exposed to COVID-19
‘Our multidisciplinary team is able to cover the complete manufacturing process for our face shields.’
Also in 3D printing, a Kent-based dad of two has set up a mini factory in his living room, consisting of four 3D printers that make visors for medical staff 14 hours a day.
Phil Hathaway, 58, has supplied his homemade visors to medics in the baby and intensive care unit at QEQM Hospital in Margate, Kent.
The visor’s headband is printed from a digital blueprint, and the visor itself is a sheet of acetate hole-punched and clipped to the headband.
Hathaway said he has made around 70 masks, but now aims to make 60 every day after buying three new printers, which he got from Amazon for around £250 each.
The UK government has previously called on leading manufacturers in various industries, including hairdryer makers Dyson and automobile company Rolls Royce, to help develop enough ventilators for COVID-19 patients.
Ventilator support breathing by getting oxygen into the lungs and removing carbon dioxide from the body.
Experts believe the NHS will need at least 30,000 of the devices when the outbreak is at its height.
More than 33,700 people in the UK have been confirmed to have been infected by COVID-19, with 2,921 deaths in the country as of Thursday.