COVID-19: IIT Tirupati to develop reusable face masks equivalent to N-95

The Indian Institute of Technology Tirupati (IIT-T) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Amara Raja Group to develop reusable face masks equivalent to N-95.

The Indian Institute of Technology Tirupati (IIT-T) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Amara Raja Group to develop reusable face masks equivalent to N-95. IIT-T Director K.N. Satyanarayana formally exchanged copies of the MoU with Amara Raja Batteries Limited (ARBL) Chief Executive Officer S. Vijayanand, in the presence of the group’s founder chairman Ramachandra N. Galla.

The prototype brought out by IIT-T consists of a flexible reusable body designed using 3D printing technology and the filter developed using electrospinning technology. After every use, the N95 filter is replaced with a new one. The Amara Raja team will carry out large-scale manufacturing of the masks using technology transfer from IIT-T. IIT-T has also developed a sterilisation unit prototype using hybrid technology to provide efficient and large-scale sterilisation of PPEs. The unit fuses the UV-C photon-based technology with an advanced oxidation process to achieve rapid sterilisation against a wide range of bacteria and viruses. An industrial-scale sterilisation unit will be developed at Amara Raja group to ensure pre-packaging sterilisation of the masks.

It was also agreed upon in the MoU that the masks should be distributed to frontline healthcare workers fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, which includes doctors, hospital staff, police personnel, security personnel and other government departments.

The foundation stone of the Indian Institute of Technology, Tirupati was laid in March 2015. Built-in Yerpedu, Chittoor District, the IIT campus is spread over an area of 530 acres. The operations of the first academic year, 2015-2016, were conducted with the support and guidance of IIT Madras. Since the college is relatively new, it has not been given any ranking yet.
The college offers courses in both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. All the bachelor's courses are 4-year full-time courses including BTech in Computer Science and Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Civil Engineering.

Read More:

• IIT Tirupati Courses & Fees 2021
• IIT Tirupati Admission 2020 for BTech, MTech and PhD