VUB FabLab ventilators ready for testing
The ventilators developed by the VUB FabLab are now ready to be tested, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) announced together with its partners Audi Brussels and Flanders Make. Last Friday, the first fifty pre-series units were produced at Audi Brussels. Final adjustments and testing are currently being carried out at the FabLab. VUB FabLab is sharing the acquired knowledge via open source with interested parties in other countries where ventilators are scarce and production capabilities are limited.
If the number of COVID-19 patients in Belgium and elsewhere continues to rise, a shortage of ventilators could occur. A team of engineers at VUB FabLab in Brussels developed and tested a simple ventilator in record time in recent weeks, including testing at UZ Brussel. The FabLab also received crucial support from Flanders Make. Last Friday, Audi Brussels began manufacturing the pre-series units.
VUB Professor Mark Runacres stated: “Functionally, the device performs the same tasks as professional ventilators. Of course, it hasn’t undergone full certification like a professional device, because we don’t have the time. We aim to comply as much as possible with the standards published abroad (especially MHRA from the UK).”
Peter Verschooris, assembly manager at Audi Brussels, added: “When VUB approached us at the end of March, we were immediately willing to support the project. Two days later, the first pilot line in our factory was ready, and last Friday we delivered fifty pre-series ventilators to VUB. The enthusiasm of our staff and the speed of action show how deeply social responsibility is rooted at Audi Brussels. We are proud of our project team. We also want to thank our colleagues at VUB, Flanders Make, and all our own employees for the excellent cooperation during these difficult times.”
Urbain Vandeurzen, Chairman of Flanders Make, said: “We have great respect for healthcare providers and others on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis. When it became clear that critical equipment and protective gear needed to be produced locally in Flanders, we immediately decided to contribute Flanders Make’s expertise and resources. The board released a €1 million budget to quickly purchase components and critical parts to support projects like VUB FabLab’s. We are proud of our team of fifteen engineers and technicians who made an essential contribution to making the ventilator design manufacturable and scalable. We congratulate our colleagues at VUB FabLab for the initiative and thank the management and staff at Audi for the smooth collaboration.”
Flemish Minister of Innovation Hilde Crevits commented: “Our Flemish researchers and scientists are world-class, and this crisis proves it once again. The Flemish research community is working hard to support our healthcare services. This project shows the immense expertise and potential present at our universities, Flanders Make, and manufacturing industry.”
The VUB FabLab engineers based their design on an MIT ventilator model and input from Johns Hopkins University. Within a few days and in close consultation with UZ Brussel, they developed a ventilator adapted to the needs of COVID-19 patients.
Corporate support was also key: Volvo Trucks and DAF Trucks supplied windshield wiper motors.
Open-source
The entire initiative follows the open-source philosophy of VUB FabLabs: the design plans are publicly available so that other labs worldwide can improve and produce the ventilators themselves.
More information about the ventilator is available at: https://breathney.vub.be/
VUB Foundation has launched a fundraising campaign to finance the development of the ventilators. More information can be found at: https://www.vub.be/fablabvoorzuurstof