COVID-19: IIT Kanpur researchers develop cost-effective ICU-grade ventilator

IIT Kanpur has developed a ventilator which is significantly cheaper than the ones currently available in the market.

Keeping in view the rise in the demand for ventilator services amid the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur has developed a ventilator, which is significantly cheaper than the ones available in the market. A startup formed at IIT Kanpur has created a top-notch quality ventilator in just 2-3 months with indigenous technology and equipment. Imported ventilators are sold at a price of 10-12 lakhs but this new ventilator model is available at 2.5 to 3 lakhs.

In the past few months with the surging coronavirus cases, the biggest worry was the lack of ventilators given the deteriorating conditions in Europe and America. So this task was undertaken by the scientists at IIT Kanpur and a startup. The best feature of the ventilator developed by the institute is that unlike the others the risk of transmission of the infection from this ventilator to the medical staff is at zero.

The head of a strategy at IIT Kanpur's Startup Incubation and Innovation Center, also mentioned that back in March, the institute's professors were worried about how serious the condition would be if the infection kept progressing. So on March 19, several professors met with Nocca Robotics, a startup, to address the shortage of ventilators in the country. It was decided that a portable ventilator with minimal medical equipment should be made, which can be installed quickly and used for treating patients.

In a short span of time, the design was made ready and preparations commenced in April, of assembling this project which took place in Pune. According to the head of the strategy, keeping in mind the conditions and new standards, they decided to come up with ICU-grade ventilators- a reformed version of the previous plan. There is also a facility for monitoring the state of the patient, by connecting the machine to the doctor's mobile phone.

This new ventilator also solves the issues of infection transmission by disinfecting the infected patient's breath through its inbuilt ultraviolet chamber. This makes it safe for doctors and other staff present on site. Apart from this, there is also a special feature of high-flow oxygen within the ventilator, which is usually bought separately when purchasing a foreign-built one. These oxygen device require an investment of 2-5 lakhs, additionally. Till now, they have sold 300 pieces of this ventilator model.

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