The Council of Indian Institutes of Technology, the governing body of all IITs, has approved eight COVID-19 related projects submitted by the IIT Kharagpur, and the first phase of the projects are expected to commence immediately after the lockdown is relaxed. Researchers would work on several projects, such as designing and developing a bodysuit for COVID-19 patients, personal protective equipment (PPE) for health professionals, a rapid diagnosis kit, and a portable shredder integrated with sterilizer, the statement said.
Other projects approved by the IIT Council included real-time PCR (Polymerase chain reaction) machine, suit with forced purified and cooled air circulation for medical professionals, bootstrapping ambu-bag as automated fan, telemedicine for fighting viral pandemic, large scale production of recombinant proteins for vaccine and testing. “IIT Kharagpur has set up research funding for R&D work related to COVID-19. The Institute has submitted a list of projects to the IIT Council, of which 8 projects have been selected. An amount of Rs 50 Lakh has been allocated for phase I of 8 prototype development projects, “said a statement from the IIT-KGP Monday.
For most of these projects, the prototypes are expected to be ready in 3-4 weeks, while a few of them would take about 6 months to deliver the results, it said. IIT-KGP Director Prof Virendra Kumar Tewari said, “While we have built some rapid technologies to meet the immediate needs of the on-campus essential service providers, we were simultaneously preparing and evaluating project proposals taking into account the immediate need the country, cost and delivery time of the product.
“IIT Kharagpur has a proven track record of developing indigenous health and hygiene technologies that are affordable, of high quality, acceptable worldwide and commercially viable,” he said. “Our researchers aim to deliver the prototypes within a limited timeline, given the care needs in the current situation, Tewari said.
(This story has not been edited by staff and is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
News