The students and the faculty of the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-Bombay) have prepared masks using basic household items and a portable UV (ultraviolet) sanitiser for sterilisation. The portable sanitiser can be used to sterilise wallets, purses and small items of daily use.
That being said, two of the faculty members of the Industrial Design Centre (IDC) of IIT-Bombay are making an instructional video on 'How To Make Masks Using Common Household Items' to teach the general public.
A professor of IIT Bombay told FPJ, "We have completed making 40 masks in 16 hours. We plan to make another 1,000 masks for our security personnel and hospital staff. This method will help tackle the shortage of masks experienced at various hospitals, institutes and medical units."
The portable UV sanitizer has been prepared by creating a prototype made by using stainless steel kitchen containers and aluminium mesh. Once the prototype was ready, the sanitizer was tested. According to the professor involved in the project, the portable UV sanitizer was prepared in four hours. There are currently two prototypes and they can be used to sterilise daily items.
As per researchers, in a recently published paper, it was claimed that the emerging viruses like severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), coronavirus, Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus and Nipah virus present in platelet concentrates can be inactivated by ultraviolet C light.
If the initiative by the students and the faculty members succeeds, people might be able to prepare masks at home and meet with the shortage of masks. IIT authorities claimed that the continuous availability and supply of sanitisers and masks are major concerns of people at the moment.
Meanwhile, the state government has also boosted the production of sanitizers in Maharashtra. The government will now produce up to 2 lakh litres of hand sanitizers daily as the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has given the approval to distilleries and sugar factories for production.
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