James Dyson, the manufacturing mastermind behind cyclone vacuum technology and other inventions, received a personal call from UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to build ventilators—a medical device sorely needed in the treating of COVID-19 patients.

"A ventilator supports a patient who is no longer able to maintain their own airways, but sadly there is currently a significant shortage, both in the UK and other countries around the world," Dyson wrote in a letter to his employees.

Ever eager to play Nikola Tesla, Dyson and his company got to work and—in just ten days—invented and built a brand new easily duplicated ventilator.

"This new device can be manufactured quickly, efficiently and at volume," said the English innovator.

The British government put in a purchase order for the first 10,000 units. Already a billionaire, Dyson is donated 5,000 more to international hospitals that are short on emergency equipment.

UK Business Minister Alok Sharma said he wanted to see "prototypes coming forward in a matter of weeks before we move into large scale production," in a BBC Radio 4 interview, adding later that any model had to meet National Health Service requirements and are safe to use.