A new version of a breathing aid that can help coronavirus patients has been developed in less a week by a team involving Mercedes Formula One, and is being trialled at London hospitals.
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) devices have been used in China and Italy to deliver air and oxygen under pressure to patients' lungs to help them breathe without the need for them to go on a ventilator, a more invasive process.
The new CPAP has already been approved by the relevant regulator and now 100 of the machines will be delivered to University College London Hospital for trials, before being rolled out to other hospitals.
Reports from Italy indicate that approximately 50% of patients given CPAP have avoided the need for invasive mechanical ventilation, which involves patients being sedated, freeing up ventilators for those more in need.
"These devices will help to save lives by ensuring that ventilators, a limited resource, are used only for the most severely ill," UCLH critical care consultant Professor Mervyn Singer said in a statement.
"We hope they will make a real difference to hospitals across the UK by reducing demand on intensive care staff and beds, as well as helping patients recover without the need for more invasive ventilation."
The new breathing aid was developed by engineers and clinicians at UCLH teaming up with Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains who worked at UCL's MechSpace hub to reverse engineer a device that can be produced quickly.
Development of the new device took fewer than 100 hours from initial meeting to production of the first one.
The team working on it also includes Oxford Optronix, a small company that will manufacture the oxygen monitors for the CPAP devices.
Meanwhile, Britain has ordered more than 10,000 ventilators from a consortium of leading aerospace, engineering and technology companies, with production to begin this week.
The group, including Airbus, BAE Systems, Ford and Formula One racing teams, said it expected to get a very prompt regulatory sign off after the final audit.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson made an urgent appeal earlier this month for manufacturers to start making specialist health equipment including ventilators ahead of an expected peak of the coronavirus pandemic that could overwhelm the health service.
Vacuum cleaner company Dyson has said it has also received an order of a newly-made ventilator.
The engineering consortium will accelerate production of an agreed new design, based on existing technologies, which can be assembled from materials and parts in current production.
"This consortium brings together some of the most innovative companies in the world," Dick Elsy, the head of the consortium said in a statement.
"I am confident this consortium has the skills and tools to make a difference and save lives."
