Coronavirus: Aberdeen University space team develop ventilator

Scientists have used skills needed to develop life support systems for manned space missions to build a ventilator to help treat the most severe cases of coronavirus.

The Planetary Science Group at the University of Aberdeen say it now has a fully working prototype for use.

It hopes it will be quick and cheap enough to build for nations with underdeveloped healthcare system.

The team is now working to have it certified, so it can be deployed.

• What are ventilators and how do they work?

A ventilator is used to take over the body’s breathing process when disease has caused a patient’s lungs to fail.

The Aberdeen device is called ATMO-Vent (Atmospheric Mixture Optimization Ventilator).

Prof Javier Martín-Torres, who has led the design team, said: “As a group we have watched the spread of Covid-19 with growing alarm, and we wanted to use our expertise to help.

“Our hope is that the ATMO-Vent’s cost-effective design and short development time means it can rapidly supplement the number of ventilators being produced by manufacturers.”