COVID-19: Centrale Nantes proud to play a role in the MakAir project

Centrale Nantes, via Professor Jean-Yves Hascoët and his research group, is contributing to the MakAir project. Initiated and backed by "Makers for Life", the project aims to create a mass-producible open-source Covid-19 artificial ventilator that is 10 times cheaper than a traditional ventilator.

on April 24, 2020

Makers for Life, an ambitious and united collective

Since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak numerous initiatives have emerged, bringing together entrepreneurs, researchers, volunteers, health professionals and engineers. The French collective "Makers For Life" is no exception. Since 17 March, they have been working alongside the University of Nantes, Nantes University Hospital, the CEA, numerous companies, local authorities and the Defence Innovation Agency to create MakAir, an artificial COVID-19 ventilator. Jean-Yves Hascoët and his research group provided 3D printers for the project.

What lies ahead for the MakAir ventilator

The MakAir can be used in French hospitals to supplement existing devices. Plans are also afoot to distribute to countries facing ventilator shortages. The collective is currently awaiting approval from the ANSM (Agence Nationale de Sécurité du Médicament). If the response is positive, clinical trials and production could begin shortly.


Makers for Life

Quentin Adam, a Nantes-based entrepreneur and director of Clever Cloud, initiated the project, bringing his partner Emmanuel Feller, Baptiste Jamin and Valerian Saliou (founders of the Crisp instant messaging platform), and Pierre-Antoine Gourraud (professor at the University of Nantes and hospital practitioner) into the adventure early on. The initiative quickly snowballed, as more than 250 people are now involved in the project.


Project Partners:

  • Project Sponsors: Makers For Life, Nantes University Hospital, University of Nantes and the CEA.
  • Local authorities and associations: Auvergne Rhône-Alpes Region, Pays de Loire Region, Nantes Métropole, DGE, AID, SFMC.
  • Industry: Tronico, Parrot, STMicroelectronics, Diabeloop, Maatel, Groupe Renault, Michelin, Legrand, Groupe SEB, Elpack Pharel.
  • Academic partners and Hospitals: CHRU Brest, CHU de Grenoble, L’école du design, IUT Nantes, Centrale Nantes, Clinatec.
  • Plastics sector: Innovation Plasturgie Composites, Georges Pernoud, Zedes, Seco Industries, Fédération de la Plasturgie et des Composites, DPH International, Moules Soufflage Injection.
  • Corporate partners: Clever Cloud, Crisp, RTSys, Jabby Technologies, SenX, QBMaker, MD101 Consulting, Sleepinnov, Le Palace, Dici Design Renault Sport, Cooprint,  Pierre Pezet, Iliad, Altran, Oxygen Ouest, Le Palace, ASI, Semtech, Farnell, Association Ping, Extia, Aptatio, Safran, HP, Algolinked.

Published on April 27, 2020 Updated on May 14, 2020