An innovative manufacturing model
MakAir, an innovative free medical ventilator from COVID-19

The manufacturing method used for this project is unusual in that it is not based on a single company's design, but on a collaborative platform. There are no design costs, since the design plans are accessible online as open-source software. This unique design model not only reduces costs, but also accelerates iterative improvements.

While contact between researchers and professionals at the University of Nantes ensured a good understanding of the needs of patients and intensive care physicians, the Makers for Life collective subsequently relied on the Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA) and the Auvergne-Rhône Alpes region, which also provided funding for suppliers to get the project off the ground quickly.

What's more, among the 2,584 proposals in the call for projects launched by the Agence innovation défense...