IIT Roorkee develops screening booth for sample testing of coronavirus patients

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee has developed a screening booth to collect samples of suspected coronavirus patients while keeping the health workers safe.

A team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee has developed a screening booth to collect samples of all the COVID-19 suspects with the help of Roorkee Municipal Corporation (RMC).

The screening booth project was financed by the RMC and has been provided to the civil hospital in the city for installation and use, said one of the officials from the premier institute.

Professor Soumitra Satapathi, who led the team of professors and research scholars of IIT Roorkee involved in the development of the screening booth said, “The screening booth developed on the design similar to a telephone booth with an aim to reduce the need for costly Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits used by health workers while collecting samples for COVID-19 suspects.”

Satapathi said, “The booth can accommodate a health worker while being completely vacuum sealed as a precautionary measure. It has forearm length gloves to be used for collecting samples, thus eliminating the chances of personal contact while taking samples by the health worker.”

"The whole procedure of taking the samples from the screening booth can be completed in five minutes," Satapathi informed.

IIT Roorkee has been significantly contributing by inventing economical equipment to be used in the fight against the deadly virus. Earlier, the institute had developed low-cost ventilators as well as face shields for the health workers to prevent themselves from getting infected while handling coronavirus patients. The institute has been making hand sanitizers in the laboratory and providing it to nearby areas as per demand.

Read More:

• Coronavirus Lockdown: IIT Roorkee launches deep learning course to promote e-learning