Dyson has said the medical ventilator it developed to help treat patients with Covid-19 is no longer required. After spending about $25 million on the project.
It began developing a device in response to a government appeal for firms to take part in a national effort to increase the number of ventilators. But in a note to staff, founder Sir James Dyson said that demand for ventilators had been less than first envisaged.
Dyson was awaiting regulatory approval for the design of the CoVent, reportedly built in 10 days using the company’s existing motor technology. The bed-mounted, portable ventilator is able to run on battery power if necessary.
Ventilators are needed to treat critically ill COVID-19 patients, many of whom suffer from severe respiratory symptoms. Other companies including GM, Ford, and Tesla—shifted to developing ventilators over the past several weeks as demand for the devices increased.
James Dyson, the company founder, said he did not regret the time and resources put into the ventilator effort. “Mercifully they are not required,” he said in a statement adding, “I have some hope that our ventilator may yet help the response in other countries, but that requires further time and investigation.”
