GUWAHATI, May 24 - A research team from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati has developed a low-cost UVC light-based disinfectant box which can be used to disinfect disposable medical accessories.
The smart appliance, developed by Dr Harsh Chaturvedi, assistant professor at the Centre for Energy of the institute, and Priya Devi, a PhD student, can also be used for sanitization of rooms and floors.
�Along with the necessary precautions to avoid direct exposure, UV-based systems offer a fast and convenient low-cost disinfecting solution for efficient sanitization of public spaces, hospitals and household goods and disposable wastes,� said Dr Chaturvedi.
He added that the UVC light-based box is designed to be used at hospitals and public spaces for disinfecting used masks, gloves and also household waste.
�The innovation is uniquely designed to sanitize floors and prevent direct exposure to individuals,� said the research team leader.
The team led by Dr Chaturvedi is working with the Pune-based Propelis Group for commercial manufacturing of the UVC-based disinfectant system. The cost of the appliance is only around Rs 2,000.
It is noteworthy that Dr Chaturvedi, along with Dr Charu Monga, assistant professor at the Department of Design of IIT Guwahati, and Shashaanka Ashili, director of the US-based SmartDriv Inc, has formed a group �Scientists Beyond Borders�, comprising entrepreneurs, engineers, scientists, researchers and faculties from many countries to work on finding solutions to various issues related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The group has taken up various activities, including the development of masks and sanitizers, collection and generation of scientific content, and translation of scientific content in different regional languages.
As a part of it, Dr Monga has designed a low-cost reusable mask. It costs Rs 40 and can be used multiple times with changeable filters. �We are in the process to produce low-cost masks with a swappable filter which will be beneficial for ground-level people and staff. It can be used just by replacing the filter multiple times,� said Dr Monga.
