Words by ITV News Correspondent Rupert Evelyn

From vacuum cleaners to ventilators. In just 10 days engineers at Dyson have turned their skills from household mechanics to hospital machines and designed a potentially life saving product that is now going into production.

ITV News revealed earlier this week that the company was working on ventilators; now they say they plan to build at least 15,000 with the first ready to be used in April.

The UK Government has ordered 10,000; 5,000 have been funded by billionaire business owner Sir James Dyson.

It is expected that 4,000 will be sent to other countries.

Dyson plan to make 15,000 ventilators.

In a global email to staff Sir James Dyson said: “The race is now on to get it into production.

"I am proud of what Dyson engineers and our partners at TTP have achieved. I am eager to see this new device in production and in hospitals as soon as possible. This is clearly a time of grave international crisis, I will therefore donate 5,000 units to the international effort, 1,000 of which will go to the United Kingdom.”

The CoVent is understood to meet the clinician-led specifications for treating Covid-19 patients. It is bed muted and portable and powered by Dyson Digital Motor that has been reengineered for the task.

In his email to staff James Dyson said: “The device is designed to achieve a high quality air supply to ensure its safety and effectiveness, drawing on our air purifier expertise which delivers high-quality filtration in high-volume products.

"Ventilators are a regulated product so Dyson and TTP will be working with the MHRA and the Government to ensure that the product and the manufacturing process is approved. ”

At a time of acute need this entirely new ventilator can’t come soon enough.

Lives, as they say, depend on it.

Coronavirus: Everything you need to know