Festo has developed a concept for emergency ventilator for COVID-19 patients within four weeks. The automation specialist states that it came about thanks to a flexible development process and standard components that were delivered quickly.
For 16 years, a group of scientists' concept for an emergency respirator, based on automation components from Festo, lay in a drawer of the UK government. At the time, it had been developed in response to the 2002-2003 pandemic caused by the SARS coronavirus. In March 2020, Festo learned of this when a request came from a customer in the UK.
In spring 2020 - at the height of the coronavirus pandemic - Festo went back to work on the concept thanks to this demand and developed an emergency respirator with modern automation components, partly based on innovative piezo technology. "This tailor-made solution for COVID-19 treatment provided the answer to the looming stock shortages of respirators," Dr Frank Jacob, head of business unit LifeTech at Festo, told a press release.
Expertise in automation
"Festo supplies automation technology and has decades of experience in designing turnkey subsystems. For example, the LifeTech business unit supports equipment and system manufacturers in developing solutions for the precise control of oxygen," Jacob explains.
Proportional valves with piezo technology play an important role here. They enabled Festo employees to come up with a well-thought-out concept for an emergency ventilation device in just four weeks. "The special feature of the system is that mainly standard components from Festo are used, which are available in large quantities and at short notice," Jacob continues.
Collaboration with doctors
To further accelerate development, Festo worked closely with lung specialists from hospitals in southern Germany. In a continuous development process consisting of several stages, the doctors provided valuable feedback so that the concept could be optimally adapted to the specifics of COVID-19 treatment.
The project started with ten Festo employees from the LifeTech and Advance Development business units. "As the requirements increased, the team was joined by colleagues from the Pneumatic Drives, Electric Drives and Process Automation divisions. And so it grew into an interdisciplinary team of almost 100 creative brains. Most of the collaboration was virtual, since at that time, due to the lockdown, almost all employees worked from home."
Piezo technology
A major challenge for the automated respirator was precisely controlling the ratios of various gases for breathing air. It also had to take into account that a slight excess pressure had to be maintained during exhalation to prevent pneumothorax or fluid accumulation in the lungs.
"For this, Festo's proportional valves based on piezo technology proved to be the ideal solution. They enable fast pressure adjustment and very precise regulation," Jacob says. "Furthermore, the piezo valves are also particularly compact, lightweight, quiet and energy-efficient," he continues.
Simply integrated components
Festo's emergency respirator demonstrates how easy it is to easily assemble integrated components with clear interfaces into suitable systems. The LifeTech business unit benefits from the fact that Festo operates as an automation specialist in a wide variety of sectors: "For example, the business unit can draw on expertise from the food and electronics industries, where the highest standards of cleanliness and hygiene apply," says Jacob.
Encouraged by this successful concept, and in view of the increasing demand and number of potential applications, Festo is expanding its portfolio of products suitable for use with oxygen. These currently include the 2/2-way proportional valve VEAE and the mass flow controller VEMD with integrated control electronics.
Source: Festo.
