Formula One engineers help create breathing aids for coronavirus patients

Mercedes Formula One engineers and researchers at University College London have together created a coronavirus breathing aid in less than 100 hours that has been approved for use within the UK's National Health Service. Since March 18, the researchers and engineers have been working to develop the breathing devices together with clinicians at UCL Hospital, where they will now undergo clinical trials. The aids have already been cleared for use by the UK's regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, and Mercedes can begin producing 1,000 machines per day in a week's time for immediate delivery to hospitals. Given the urgent need, we are thankful that we were able to reduce a process that could take years down to a matter of days, said UCL Mechanical Engineering Professor Tim Baker in a statement. From being given the brief, we worked all hours of the day, disassembling and analysing an off-patent device.