Many innovations have been developed by IITs in the past three months.
New Delhi:
Low-cost portable ventilators, affordable COVID-19 test kits, disinfection drones, specialized digital stethoscopes and “infection-resistant fabric” for hospitals – these are some of the key innovations from IITs across the country that are ready to go on the market.
The innovations have been developed by the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) in the past three months, when the country was hit by the pandemic.
The main innovations have taken a commercial route either through start-ups incubated by the IIT, or by the first institutes granting licenses to companies that keep patent rights with themselves.
IIT Delhi, which has become the first academic institute to obtain approval from the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) for its COVID-19 test kit, has granted a non-exclusive open license to the biotechnology company based in Bengaluru Genie Laboratories for the commercialization of the test, but with a price amendment of Rs 500 per kit.
The kits, manufactured in the MedTech area of Andhra Pradesh (AMTZ) in Vishakhapatnam, are expected to be available on the market within the next 10 days.
“More than 40 companies, including some big names, have contacted us to market the test. We will grant open licenses to companies that meet the quality criteria that we have defined and set a price so that companies do not increase the Once marketed, we have chosen Genie laboratories as the first, but there will also be more companies, “said IIT Delhi V Ramgopal director PTI.
According to the IIT Delhi team, the test methods currently available are “probe-based” while that developed by the IIT team is a “probe-free” method, which reduces the cost of testing. without compromising accuracy.
Another innovation from the institute, an “anti-infective tissue” to prevent nosocomial infections (HAI), is sent to various hospitals in Delhi and the NCR in the form of sheets, curtains and uniforms by an incubated startup called “Fabiosys Innovations “. The innovation was previously tested at AIIMS.
“We take rolls of cotton fabric and treat it with a set of chemicals developed under special reaction conditions, using the machines already available in the textile industries. The fabric, after having undergone these processes, acquires the powerful functionality antimicrobial, “said Samrat Mukhopadhyay, professor at IIT-Delhi.
“Even after several washes, it does not lose its functionality. This fabric can be sewn into various items such as sheets, uniforms for patients, doctors and nurses and even curtains. The fabric meets Indian standards in terms many of it is completely non-toxic and affordable, “he added.
A “digital stethoscope”, developed by a team at IIT Bombay, that can listen to and record heartbeats remotely, minimizing the risk of healthcare professionals contracting the new coronavirus from patients, is already available on the market .
Data or auscultated sound from a patient’s chest is sent wirelessly to the doctor via Bluetooth, eliminating the need to get close to take measurements.
Operating a startup called “AyuDevice” from the IIT technology business incubator, the team sent 1,000 stethoscopes to different hospitals and healthcare centers across the country. The product is also available for sale in various stores.
An IIT Guwahati startup, “Marut Dronetech” has developed two types of drones, which are used by the government of Telangana and various departments across the state.
Drones are deployed to spray disinfectant in public spaces to prevent the coronavirus. They can disinfect 50 times more area than what can be done using traditional methods, according to the institute.
“We have also developed public surveillance and warning drones which are equipped with a camera and a loudspeaker. These can be used to monitor the premises, in particular with a high prevalence of diseases to gather crowd and give appropriate instructions to people, using built-in speakers, “said Prem Kumar. Vislawath, a former student of IIT Guwahati.
The design department of the institute has developed a range of hospital furniture made of bamboo, whose mass production is fast and at low cost, to meet the demands resulting from the hospitalization of a greater number of people suffering of the coronavirus peak.
“The furniture can be used in primary health centers and makeshift isolation rooms installed in places like indoor stadiums. It can be easily eliminated when the virus has been contained. More than 200 beds can be made per day using the design. We tied up with two local contractors for the manufacturing, “said one professor.
IIT Kanpur collaborated with ICICI Securities for the development of a low-cost fan innovated by two of its students.
“This easily portable ventilator will be much cheaper than other rescue machines available on the market. It will also work as a disinfectant to keep the hospital free of germs. Due to the components used in the ventilator which are specifically made in India, it will only cost Rs 70,000 while the available fans will cost around Rs 4 lakh, “said IIT-Kanpur director Abhay Karandikar.
“We plan to develop around 30,000 units in 2020, and the first batch will soon hit the market,” he added.
According to the Union’s Ministry of Health, India experienced the highest peak in a day of 11,929 cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the number of infections to over 3.20 lakh Sunday, while the balance sheet crossed the 9000 mark with 311 other deaths.
