It has been
rightly said that necessity is the mother of invention. For the student
innovator Nihaal Singh Adarsh from Mumbai, his doctor mother's necessity became
the source of inspiration for his invention of a 'Cool' PPE kit.
Named 'Cov-Tech', the compact and frugal innovation is a ventilation system for
PPE kits, bringing much-needed relief for healthcare workers on the frontlines
of the Covid-19 battle.
A gratified Nihaal, a second-year student of K.J. Somaiya College of
Engineering, explained the experiential difference Cov-Tech makes to the Corona
Warrior wearing the PPE.
"Cov-Tech ventilation system is like you are sitting under the fan even
while you are inside the PPE suit. It takes the surrounding air, filters it and
pushes it into the PPE suit," Nihaal said.
"Normally, due to lack of ventilation, it is hot and humid within the PPE
suit. Our solution offers a way out of this uncomfortable experience, by
creating a steady air flow inside."
The design of the ventilation system ensures a complete air seal from the PPE
kit, Nihaal said, adding it provides a breeze of fresh air to the user in a gap
of just 100 seconds.
Sharing detail why he invented the cooling PPE kit, Nihaal said he made it only
to provide relief to her mother Dr Poonam Kaur Adarsh, who is a doctor and has
been treating Covid-19 patients at Adarsh clinic, Pune, a clinic she herself
runs.
"Every day after returning home, she would narrate the difficulty faced by
those like her, who are having to wear PPE suits and get themselves drenched in
sweat. How can I help her and others like her," the 19-year-old Nihaal
thought.
The recognition of the problem led him to participate in a design challenge for
Covid-related equipment, organized by Technological Business Incubator,
Research Innovation Incubation Design Laboratory.
The design challenge led Nihaal to work on the first prototype. With guidance
from Dr Ulhas Kharul of National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, Nihaal was able to
develop the first model in 20 days.
Also Read: Relief Riders from Chennai comes in rescue of vulnerable amid Covid crisis
Dr Ulhas runs a start-up which does research on a membrane to filter air, with
the aim of preventing spread of Covid-19. From here, Nihaal got the idea about
what type of filter he should use, in order to achieve an optimum balance
between filtration efficiency and air flow quality.
Nihaal later 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.
The first batch of the product is already out, with around 30-40 units which
will be delivered as trial units to doctors and NGOs across the country. The
next batch of around 100 units is also under production.