IIT’s have always been a center for innovation in India, and during the pandemic, they have made it crystal clear that they will lead the innovation in the next decade too. They have come up with remarkable innovations that will help out medical sector combat with coronavirus. They have also received the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) to manufacture Covid-19 test kits. They have patented the test kits and licensed it to manufacturers for production while keeping the patent for themselves. To avoid inflation in prices, they have maintained a maximum retail price of Rs 500 so that they can regulate the market price. This affordable test kits are being manufactured by Genie Laboratories in Andhra Pradesh and will be available within a week. IIT Delhi which developed this test-kit has asked other manufacturers to come forward and produce the test-kits for the betterment for the nation. They claim that their technology is probe-free and still manages to retain the accuracy of testing.
They have also developed an ‘infection-free fabric’ treating the cotton cloth to certain non-toxic chemicals. This makes the fabric antimicrobial and kills the virus as soon as it falls on it. This fabric can be stitched into various items like protection kits, bed sheets, and curtains. They took cotton rolls and subjected them to a specific set of chemical reactions giving it strong antimicrobial properties. The fabric also passes the number of washing and retains its ability even after washing it several times. Uniforms could be developed for patients, doctors, and nurses, which will help them and keep them safe from the virus. They have also developed a digital stethoscope in which they don’t have to make contact with the chest of the infected person to measure the heartbeat and can keep it a distance and still manage to measure the pulse with accuracy. These methods will minimize the risk of contracting the virus for our front-line workers.
IIT Guwahati has developed drones which can spray disinfectant over large areas. It can cover 50 times more space in lesser time than traditional methods. The Government of Andhra Pradesh has been using this technology across their state to disinfect large areas. They have also developed bamboo furniture which as low-cost to make temporary hospitals and beds because of the increasing demands in numbers of beds. They have attached speakers and cameras to the drones for monitoring the situation in affected areas without having to go in the infected areas personally.
Researchers at IIT Kanpur have come up with a design to manufacture low-cost ventilators. It will be a portable ventilator and could also be used to keep the hospital germ free. It could be manufactured for a quarter of the cost of a conventional ventilator because of the material used. IIT has proved yet again that this center of education not only imparts learning but also helps out the nation to move forward and helps in the progress of our country. It will be interesting to see how these products are put to use by the Government.
