A number of FabLabs across Europe are providing support to hospitals by creating extra, much-needed respirators for Covid-19 patients which can be fitted onto Decathlon snorkelling masks in order to support with breathing assistance.

The idea was first devised in Italy, one of the countries worst hit by coronavirus, last week. Their hospitals are overloaded with severe cases of Covid-19 patients and they are experiencing a huge shortage of reusable respirator components, which is proving to be an urgent issue in other countries too.

The mask parts of Decathlon snorkels are connected with bespoke, 3D-printed valves to standard BiPAP machines, providing an ingenious single-use and temporary solution. Several FabLabs and dedicated 3D printing experts across several European countries have added their efforts to this important cause, for instance at the Erasmus Hospital just outside Brussels. If you can help support the production of these valuable pieces of equipment, please do!

Below you will find links to news articles with more details in several languages:

English - i24news - Brussels Times - SCMP

Italian - Il Piccolo - Corriere della Sera

Spanish - Las Provincias

Dutch - Bright

French - 3Dnatives

Romanian - Stirile ProTV