This article shows the design of a device to automatize an Ambu Spur II manual respirator. The aim of this compassionate medicine device is to provide an emergency alternative to conventional electric respirators—which are in much shortage—during the present COVID-19 pandemic. To develop the device, the classical method of product design based on concurrent engineering has been employed. First, the specifications of the machine have been determined, including the function determining the air volume provided at every moment of the breathing cycle; second, an adequate compression mechanism has been designed; third, the control circuit of the motor has been determined, which can be operated via a touchscreen and which includes sensor feedback; fourth, the device has been materialized with readily available materials and market components, mostly of low cost; and fifth, the machine has been successfully tested, complying with sanitary regulations and operating within desirable ranges. The device has been already manufactured to supply respirators to several hospitals around the Catalan Autonomous Community in Spain, but can also be replicated in developing countries such as Ecuador.

Intelligent devices, used along with sensors, are becoming more commonplace in industrial contexts. One such device, Amazon Echo (which runs Amazon Alexa), can be used to interact with other industrial systems via voice commands. Taking advantage of this, a skill to control the illumination system of a company has been developed, while also being able to measure power consumption in real time. Besides Echo, the system employs easily obtainable electronic components such as NodeMCU4 and Sonoff Pow, while running open-source software like IDE Arduino and Amazon Developer. Besides the voice commands, the system can be controlled via a cell phone touch app and a manual system. Tests show the skill successfully controls the illumination system and provides accurate power consumption data in real time. This skill can also be replicated in other industrial contexts.

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