Ferrari took just 15 days to create this open-source ventilator

MANILA: Ferrari, one of the fastest brands on the planet, just created a ventilator in record time – from sketch to a fully functioning prototype in just 15 days.

Codenamed F15, for the number of days it took to make, plus the initials of the marque and the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) research institute it worked with in Genoa, this is just one of the many initiatives launched by Ferrari to combat the pandemic.

It started with a call from IIT for a reliable, versatile, easy to use and assemble device that can optimize oxygen consumption, and be produced in volume, using easily available materials, so as to have a far lower cost than currently available pulmonary ventilators.

The creation of the F15 went through five phases starting with design, simulation, choice and supply of components, production, and finally prototype testing. IIT sourced all the materials and designed the electronics, the firmware and the control software while making use of the Scuderia’s supply chain.

The first prototype was assembled last week at IIT headquarters in Genoa and passed all the functionality tests. Currently, analysis has already begun to see what further developments can be introduced.

Ferrari and IIT have decided to make the drawing, hardware specifications, schematics, including firmware and software available to anyone around the world as an open-source project.

A few Italian, Mexican and American companies have already contacted Ferrari and IIT to move on to certifying and distributing the product.

“The challenge of COVID-19 was one we wanted to take on. FI5 is the contribution we made as the Scuderia, fielding the very essence of what makes a Formula 1 team and more importantly, all the characteristics that make Ferrari special; its passion, its creativity and its desire to improve. This project was a very stimulating experience as well as being truly rewarding for all those involved, who worked side by side with our colleagues from IIT and the other partners. It is initiatives like these that make #essereFerrari, not just a slogan but a distinctive feature of our identity," said Mattia Binotto, Managing Director Gestione Sportiva and Team Principal.

"The technological transfer of research is one of the central elements of our strategy. There are several projects that are taking shape along these lines. However, what we have done with Ferrari goes further than that. It is a project initiated because of an urgent health emergency in our society to which we have responded very quickly thanks to the combination of the Scuderia that is the pride of our nation and famous around the world, and a research centre that is at the forefront of internationally respected scientific institutions. Spurred on by Ferrari’s practice of working at speed, we designed and built the prototype in just five weeks.

FI5 is an example of the ingenuity, technology and determination which are an essential part of our procedures. But more than that, it shows that this is a country that works and wins," said Professor Giorgio Metta, Scientific Director of the Italian Institute of Technology.

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