New technologies continually define and guide responses across the globe to the new challenges at hand. They ultimately save lives by enhancing our ability to harness resources in original and efficient ways. In times like these, engineers find themselves in a hallowed position, knowing not only how to design new systems and devices, but also how to deliver and maintain them.
We’re taking a look at how engineers across a range of disciplines are contributing to the COVID-19 relief effort worldwide.
The Ventilator Challenge UK Consortium includes companies such as Airbus, Ford, GKN Aerospace, Rolls-Royce and Siemens, plus a handful of UK-based Formula 1 teams. Chaired by the CEO of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, Dick Elsy, the Consortium has come together to produce ventilators for the UK in this time of great need. Over 10,000 ventilators have been ordered by the Government from the Consortium, but the team is believed to be scaling up for at least 15,000. The Consortium has responded adopting a set of well-established manufacturing technologies, using materials and parts in current production to achieve Rapid Manufactured Ventilator Systems (RMVS). Mass production lines are being put into place in Luton and Cowes to scale up by a factor of 30 the production of Smiths and software engineering vs computer science ventilators.
The UK is lucky to have at its disposal, through Formula 1, the finest rapid prototyping and precision machine shops anywhere in the world, with crews used to working three shifts (24/7) to achieve startlingly fast engineering solutions. Seven Formula 1 teams including McLaren, Mercedes, Williams and current Aston Martin Red Bull (next year's Aston Martin Formula 1/Racing Point) have pooled their resources in Project Pitlane for the rapid design and build of medical equipment. As a demonstration of the team's capabilities, Mercedes Formula 1, based in Northamptonshire and led by Chief Technical Director Jim Allison, produced their first prototype of a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) ventilator within 100 hours of their first meeting with University College London Hospital.
We are thus seeing possibly unprecedented levels of collaboration and flexibility right on our doorstep, championed by top-of-the-crop engineers who are providing invaluable services to the medical industry in response to this global emergency.
We’re taking a look at how engineers across a range of disciplines are contributing to the COVID-19 relief effort worldwide.
The Ventilator Challenge UK Consortium includes companies such as Airbus, Ford, GKN Aerospace, Rolls-Royce and Siemens, plus a handful of UK-based Formula 1 teams. Chaired by the CEO of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, Dick Elsy, the Consortium has come together to produce ventilators for the UK in this time of great need. Over 10,000 ventilators have been ordered by the Government from the Consortium, but the team is believed to be scaling up for at least 15,000. The Consortium has responded adopting a set of well-established manufacturing technologies, using materials and parts in current production to achieve Rapid Manufactured Ventilator Systems (RMVS). Mass production lines are being put into place in Luton and Cowes to scale up by a factor of 30 the production of Smiths and software engineering vs computer science ventilators.
The UK is lucky to have at its disposal, through Formula 1, the finest rapid prototyping and precision machine shops anywhere in the world, with crews used to working three shifts (24/7) to achieve startlingly fast engineering solutions. Seven Formula 1 teams including McLaren, Mercedes, Williams and current Aston Martin Red Bull (next year's Aston Martin Formula 1/Racing Point) have pooled their resources in Project Pitlane for the rapid design and build of medical equipment. As a demonstration of the team's capabilities, Mercedes Formula 1, based in Northamptonshire and led by Chief Technical Director Jim Allison, produced their first prototype of a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) ventilator within 100 hours of their first meeting with University College London Hospital.
We are thus seeing possibly unprecedented levels of collaboration and flexibility right on our doorstep, championed by top-of-the-crop engineers who are providing invaluable services to the medical industry in response to this global emergency.
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