Coronavirus: IIT Kanpur gets fund for ventilator prototype

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur has received funding from Standard Chartered Bank to support its affordable, indigenous, portable and invasive ventilator prototype. This has been developed with the assistance of Nocca Robotics along with the Indian Angel Network. The bank has become the first such entity to support the prototype. According to a statement from the institute, Standard Chartered Bank has sanctioned a generous CSR funding that would be used for research and development of the prototype, followed by testing of the device and clinical trials. According to Professor Abhay Karandikar, Director of IIT Kanpur, the fund would help them in the timely roll-out of the device swiftly and in time.

According to Karuna Bhatia, Head of Sustainability at Standard Chartered Bank, as a socially responsible bank that has been in the country for over 160 years, it decided to donate in this common fight against COVID-19 and make sure a safe and healthy environment for the communities and citizens. The ventilator design has been conceptualised by Nocca Robotics in such a way that it can be produced on a large scale at multiple sites using materials easily accessible with Indian suppliers and manufacturers. 

The ventilator is also capable of working with medical airline and oxygen as well as ambient air and oxygen. This makes it operational in a wide range of conditions. To control the device and monitor critical information, the ventilator will also be connected to a mobile phone. It can be powered using solar panels since it will need very low wattage to run.

Read More: