ANVISA authorizes commercialization of the respirator designed by NASA and adapted by SENAI CIMATEC 2

Professors and former students of the SENAI CIMATEC University Center were part of the team that adapted the VIDA Respirator to the necessary prerequisites for production and marketing in Brazil.

The VITAL Respirator, developed by NASA engineers, underwent adjustments made by SENAI CIMATEC and, on the 17th, received permission from the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) to be produced and marketed in Brazil by Russer, a medical equipment company .

In the country, the respirator adapted by SENAI CIMATEC was named LIFE. Among the various professionals who made up the team responsible for the tropicalization of the equipment were professors and a former student from the SENAI CIMATEC University Center. “It is gratifying to be able to contribute to the development of such an important project in fighting the pandemic. In two months, we studied, applied and developed everything very quickly. We worked a lot, but as we had the same purpose, everything went very well”, says Paulo Bonfim, a graduate of the Electrical Engineering 2020 course.

NASA held a public call to license the respirator and also released the technology’s patent. This move by the American agency attracted the interest of 331 companies, 30 from Brazil. Of these, 28 were selected, being only two Brazilian (SENAI CIMATEC and Russer). “Our team is pleased to see how quickly Brazilian licensees were able to replicate our prototype, update it when necessary and also obtain local regulatory approval,” said Leon Alkalai, manager of JPL’s Office of Strategic Partnerships and manager of VITAL – NASA projects. “They did it in record time and we’re really impressed with how quickly they were able to master the art and even improve the design.”

The adaptations were made in two months and had the commitment of everyone involved. “The team was dedicated every day, Saturday, Sunday and holidays, even during the pandemic. But, today, we have taken an important step, after approval by Anvisa, to launch the VIDA Respirator on the market. It is an innovative product with the initial premise of being low cost and excluding items used by other models, in order to avoid an increase in the crisis in the supply chain of equipment for pulmonary ventilators”, comments Luiz Fernando Taboada, Executive Manager of the area of Automation SENAI CIMATEC and professor at the SENAI CIMATEC University Center.

The first batch of lung ventilators, essential for the operation of Intensive Care Units (ICUs) that receive Covid-19 patients, manufactured in Brazil, will have 300 devices and each will cost R$59,000.