James Dyson designed a new ventilator in 10 days.
He’s making 15,000 for the pandemic fight.
In a letter to employees seen by Fast Company, founder James Dyson said the CoVent “can be manufactured quickly, efficiently and at volume,” noting that it’s “designed to address the specific clinical needs of COVID-19 patients.”
He also promised to donate 5,000 ventilators to the “international effort,” including 1,000 for the UK.
From Engadget.com
The ventilator can be mounted on a bed, run on batteries or wall power and doesn’t require a fixed air supply, according to Med-Tech News. It’s also efficient in conserving oxygen and has a user interface designed specifically for healthcare providers.
Many patients with COVID-19 develop severe respiratory symptoms and can’t breathe on their own, so a ventilator is essential for treatment. In countries hit hard by the pandemic like Italy and Spain, hospitals don’t have enough for every critically-ill patient. With coronavirus victims flooding hospitals, that has forced doctors to essentially decide who gets to live or die.
GM, Ford and Tesla are also pledging to create ventilators ASAP, but this new design from DYSON will make it to the neediest hospitals much faster. An order for 10,000 units from the UK’s National Health Service has already been placed.
Mr. Rodgers told us to look for “the helpers” in bad times. Mr. Dyson is definitely one of those today, and I will be saving up to buy one of his fancy vacuums in the future to say “THANKS!”.
Susan Saunders 3/27/20
