The rapid spread of CoViD-19 has dramatically predicted a possible shortage of ventilators with respect to the number of patients in many countries.

The innovative MVM device was born from an open access project to be easily and quickly produced anywhere at a low cost:

• it is equipped with an advanced control system that enables different ways of ventilation that act effectively but delicately on the lungs.
• its simple mechanical design is based on components that are easy to find on the market, so it can be produced on a large scale.

The creator of the project Cristiano Galbiati of GSSI, INFN and Princeton University explains: “MVM represents a paradigmatic case: on the one hand it shows the essential role that basic research has on society, and on the other it highlights the importance of an international and multidisciplinary cooperation to face great challenges. The EUA certification by the FDA is an important milestone: it has turned Milano Ventilatore Meccanico from a project into reality, which we hope will help to save many lives ".

From prototype to crowdfunding

The MVM project was born from the idea and initiative of some scientists involved in research on dark matter, with experiments at the INFN Laboratories of Gran Sasso, and in Canadian laboratories. The creation of sophisticated experimental equipment for research in fundamental physics has allowed the development of specific skills on complex control systems and for the management of gases, similar to those used in lung ventilators.

These experts have started the development of a first ventilator prototype at the technical service center dedicated to respirators of the company SAPIO Life in Vaprio d’Adda, near Bergamo, in cooperation with the Department of Physics of the State University of Milan.

But to bring the MVM ventilator to the patients, the contribution of scientists, clinicians, health professionals and some companies headed by Elemaster was essential:

• AZ Pneumatica
• Bel Power Europe
• Camozzi Automation
• Nuclear Instruments
• Saturn Magnetic

Elemaster has made a team of more than 40 specialists and its laboratory available for the development of the first units and created the entire electronic part of the ventilator and subsequently presented the project to the FDA for certification.

After testing and qualifying processes of the performance of the first prototype with breathing simulators, it was possible to create the first industrialised prototype in a few weeks which proved correctness and feasibility of the conceptual design.

MVM is made up of pneumatic solenoid valves and not of mechanical switches. Its modular design adapts well to the exchange of components based on availability in different parts of the world. The design of the ventilator is of open access.

The final project will be published on arXiv.org and will be granted under license according to CERN OHL v2.0 by the Air Foundation. ­

The members of the MVM International Cooperation have undertaken this project using their own resources and have set up a crowdfunding campaign.

Partners

The INFN (National Institute for Nuclear Physics) coordinated the development of electronics. In a few days, the researchers designed the prototype of the board that houses the microcontroller and manages the solenoid valves, pressure and oxygen sensors and created the Graphic User Interface that allows to view the patient's vital parameters on an LCD display.

GSSI - Gran Sasso Science Institute participates in the project from the very beginning with Cristiano Galbiati, full professor of Physics of the GSSI and Prof. Fernando Ferroni, networking and communication facilitator with the scientific community on an international level.

The CNR National Research Council of Italy involved physicists and engineers from the Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (ISTP) and from the Institute of Intelligent Industrial Systems and Technologies for Advanced Manufacturing  (STIIMA). The activity of the researchers mainly concerned the optimisation of the circuit and fluidic implementation (valves and regulators), sensors (of flow and pressure), intelligent control and support for clinical validation.

The University of Milano-Bicocca has involved not only its researchers, but also companies, research institutes, anesthesiology doctors of the San Gerardo Hospital in Monza who, thanks to their skills on lung ventilation and clinical experience with COVID-19 patients, were able to define and test the characteristics of the device.

The University of Milan La Statale has been involved since the beginning for the construction of mechanical parts for the first prototype. Currently researchers are involved to contribute in creating the user interface of the device and in preparing the technical documentation of the product.

The University of Bergamo, thanks to several different engineering skills, created and tested a technological solution of a high social impact with the aim of helping to respond quickly.

The University of Naples Federico II is one of the proponents of the MVM project with Giuliana Fiorillo, full professor at the Department of Physics 'Ettore Pancini', and member of the international coordination group that maintains contacts with all those who want to offer contributions as well as with researchers / companies of third countries who want to replicate the project.

The University of Pisa participates in the project to verify the absence of potentially harmful compounds released by the materials and components that make up the ventilator.

Main foreign institutions

Collaboration has grown rapidly also internationally, including the CNL, TRIUMF, SNOLAB and the Mc Donald Institute, under guidance of the Nobel Prize winner Arthur McDonald of the Queen’s University from Canada, scientists of Fermilab, of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory and different other universities from the United States. From Europe, researchers of the IN2P3 Institute of the CNRS in France have joined the project, as well as the CIEMAT laboratory in Spain and the National Centre for Nuclear Research in Poland and several other Institutes and Universities.

"We participated with great enthusiasm in the development of the MVM project," comments the Nobel Prize winner in Physics Arthur McDonald. "Personally, it has been an extraordinary experience to collaborate in an international team covering such a wide range of skills, working hard to help save human lives in this difficult time."

For more information

MVM Mechanical Ventilator Milano

Open source paper

Funding campaign

Brescia – 11 May - Crédit Agricole Italy and SACE united again to sustain the growth of Italian companies. In this operation, Crédit Agricole has granted a loan guaranteed by SACE intended to support the growth plans in Italy and the world of the Camozzi Group, Italian multinational leader in the production of components and systems for industrial automation but also present in the fields of special machine tools, spinning machines and processing of raw materials. The loan guaranteed by SACE - as part of its traditional operations for the benefit of export activities of Italian companies - has a total value of 40 million € over a period of 6 years and is aimed at supporting the Group's future investment plan related to both national and international growth.

The Camozzi Group is among the world leaders of the "Industry 4.0 revolution" with a production management model based on interconnecting physical and digital systems, complex analyses of big data that result in real time adaptation. The Group can also boast significant research projects regarding smart automation, energy efficiency and the use of innovative materials. “Crédit Agricole Italy is proud to be alongside companies of excellence like Camozzi, especially in this difficult period. We want to support the Italian entrepreneurial scene in a concrete way and be a partner of reference, not only financially speaking, and find new development opportunities together, offering consultancy and customised solutions” says Alessio Foletti, Head of the Corporate Banking Department of Crédit Agricole Italy.

Lodovico Camozzi, President and CEO of the Camozzi Group, said: "The attention of Crédit Agricole and SACE in supporting projects that are transforming the manufacturing sector at a global level has been consolidated over time and with today's operation they support our Group once again. We are investing with innovative products in important segments for the present and for the future of our society such as Life Science that, like never before with the current emergency, needs constant progress." “Through this operation, we confirm SACE's support to Italian companies of excellence such as Camozzi, that operate on the international market and make export one of their drivers of growth – said Simonetta Acri, Chief Mid Market Officer of SACE -. In such a difficult context in which SACE has been called to back all Italian companies, our intervention to support Camozzi's industrial plan strengthens the growth plans of a group that already boasts a strongly international footprint thanks to 18 production plants over the world and a distribution network in more than 70 countries"

Crédit Agricole Italy Profile

Crédit Agricole is present in Italy, its second domestic market, with about 14 thousand employees and more than 4.5 million customers for more than 77 billion of financing to the economy. The close collaboration between companies present in retail banking, consumer credit, corporate and investment banking, asset management and the insurance sector guarantees Crédit Agricole to operate in Italy with a wide and integrated offer, for the benefit of all economic players. Crédit Agricole Italy is present on the national territory with about 1100 points of sale, around 10,000 employees and more than 2 million customers. www.credit-agricole.it

Camozzi Group Profile

Founded in 1964, this Group is an Italian multinational and leader in the production of components and systems for industrial automation but also present in the fields of special machine tools, spinning machines and numerous other processes of raw material processing. Continuous research and technological development are the basis of the corporate strategy and the drivers guiding this strategy are linked to the constant creation of innovation for its customers, in a development process towards smart manufacturing. The Camozzi Group is present in 75 countries over the world with 30 subsidiaries, 2600 employees, 5 operating divisions and 18 production sites. www.camozzi.com

Sace Profile

SACE is the Italian insurance-financial company specialised in supporting businesses and the national economic scene through a wide variety of tools and solutions to support competitiveness in Italy and worldwide. For over forty years, SACE has been the partner of reference for Italian companies that export and grow on foreign markets forming, together with SIMEST, the export and internationalization division. Furthermore, it cooperates with the banking system to facilitate, through its financial guarantees, companies' access to credit, with a role enhanced by the special measures provided for by the Liquidity Decree. With a portfolio of insured operations and guaranteed investments worth 134 billion €, SACE serves over 23 thousand companies, especially SMEs, supporting their growth in Italy and on approximately 200 foreign markets, with a diversified range of insurance and financial products and services.