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19-year-old Mumbai student designs 'Cool' PPE kit with ventilation for COVID-19 warriors

Nihaal Singh Adarsh, a second-year student of KJ Somaiya College of Engineering, Mumbai has developed a belt-like wearable ventilation system for PPE kits. He named it Cov-Tech Ventilation System which comes with a lithium-ion battery.

19-year-old Mumbai student designs 'Cool' PPE kit with ventilation for COVID-19 warriors
(Image: Twitter)
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For all our COVID-19 warriors – healthcare workers and frontline workers -- the personal protective equipment (PPE) kits are an effective mantle guard against the virus. However, its limitations can't be overlooked.

Moreover, for the doctors and health teams, who are battling the pandemic on ground zero, the PPE suits are synonymous with excessive sweating, dehydration, fatigue and overall discomfort.

Therefore, with an aim to provide some relief to healthcare workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 battle, a 19-year-old Mumbai student has developed a compact ventilation system for PPE kits.

Also Read: CM Thackeray Announces ‘Majha Doctor’ Initiative Empowering Family Doctors to Combat COVID-19

Nihaal Singh Adarsh, a second-year student of KJ Somaiya College of Engineering, Mumbai has developed a belt-like wearable ventilation system for PPE kits. He named it Cov-Tech Ventilation System which comes with a lithium-ion battery that lasts for six to eight hours.

The design of the ventilation system ensures a complete air seal from the PPE kit. It provides a breeze of fresh air to the user in a gap of just 100 seconds.

For the student innovator, his doctor mother's necessity became the source of inspiration for his invention of a 'Cool' PPE kit.

While sharing the details and the rationale of the invention, Nihaal pointed out that it was a solution to his mother’s, Dr Poonam Kaur, daily struggles, in and out of a PPE suit. Dr. Kaur is a doctor and has been treating patients that have coronavirus at Adarsh Clinic in Pune.

Nihaal worked on the first prototype of the Cov-Tech with guidance from Dr Ulhas Kharul of National Chemical Laboratory, Pune. He was able to develop the primary model in 20 days. The filter used in this ventilation belt has been inspired by Dr Ulhas's research on a membrane to filter air, with the aim of preventing the spread of coronavirus. The filter strikes an optimum balance between filtration efficiency and airflow quality.

Later, he got support from Somaiya Vidyavihar University's Research Innovation Incubation Design Laboratory (RIIDL), supported by the National Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board (NSTEDB), under the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.

After more than six months of hard work, the initial prototype emerged. It was neck-mounted, sucking in air through U-shaped air inlets, and had pillow-like structures which could be worn around the neck.

Nihaal then gave it to Dr Vinayak Mane of Pune for testing. This aspiration for perfection led to the development of around 20 developmental prototypes and 11 ergonomic prototypes till the final product emerged. For this, he got help from Gaurang Shetty, Chief Innovation Catalyst at RIIDL and CEO of Dassault Systems, Pune.

As per the final design, the product can be worn around the waist, just like a belt. It can be attached with the conventional PPE kits. This design serves two purposes -- first, keeps the health workers well-ventilated, while preventing bodily discomfort, and second, keeps them safe from various fungal infections.

The final product, that has come out in the market, is being used in Pune's Sai Sneh hospital and Lotus Multi Specialty Hospital. The product costs ₹5,499 per piece. Nihaal and his team is further trying to reduce the price.

Also Read: Doctors from Medical Colleges warn an indefinite strike if their demands are not met

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