McLaren tackles COVID-19 relief efforts with University of Southampton

The McLaren Group is leveraging the expertise of its Automotive and Applied Technologies departments to help the coronavirus relief effort in the UK.

McLaren's engineers are partnering with the University of Southampton to develop protective equipment for NHS healthcare staff treating COVID-19 patients.

"The early stage prototype developed in Southampton consists of a fabric hood which covers the wearer’s head, integrated with a plastic visor to protect their face," a Southampton University statement read.

• Mercedes F1 delivers first breathing aids to COVID-19 patients!

"A small portable unit delivers clean air through a HEPA filter to the wearer from a battery powered fan pack mounted on a belt.

"The prototype uses off-the-shelf components, and has received positive feedback from doctors, nurses and patients in initial demonstrations at the hospital. Doctors and nurses will be testing the prototypes on the wards this week in the course of their day-to-day work, to provide comfort and usability feedback.

"If the tests are successful and the prototype obtains the necessary safety certifications, the concept will be published open-source so it would be available to other manufacturers and organisations around the world.

"The engineers on the team will also investigate developing simpler prototypes using only components available in developing countries."

Paul Elkington, Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Southampton underscored the importance of keeping medical staff safe and protected.

"We must minimise the risk of infection for medical staff and stop them getting sick at the peak of the pandemic, so that they can care for others," said Professor Elkington.

"The engineering team have rapidly developed something simple yet effective;

"The HEPA filtered air removes 99.95% of particulate matter and the face mask protects from splashes, and so we think this will reduce the risk of infection."

As a reminder, F1's UK-based teams have united their efforts in a collective called 'Project Pitlane' in a direct response to the government's call for assistance with the supply of crucial life-saving medical devices.

This week, Mercedes announced that it had delivered the first prototypes of a breathing device for COVID-19 patients that was partly developed by its HPP engine department in Brixworth.

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