It has beenrightly said that necessity is the mother of invention. For the studentinnovator Nihaal Singh Adarsh from Mumbai, his doctor mother's necessity becamethe source of inspiration for his invention of a 'Cool' PPE kit.
Named 'Cov-Tech', the compact and frugal innovation is a ventilation system forPPE kits, bringing much-needed relief for healthcare workers on the frontlinesof the Covid-19 battle.
A gratified Nihaal, a second-year student of K.J. Somaiya College ofEngineering, explained the experiential difference Cov-Tech makes to the CoronaWarrior wearing the PPE.
"Cov-Tech ventilation system is like you are sitting under the fan evenwhile you are inside the PPE suit. It takes the surrounding air, filters it andpushes it into the PPE suit," Nihaal said.
"Normally, due to lack of ventilation, it is hot and humid within the PPEsuit. Our solution offers a way out of this uncomfortable experience, bycreating a steady air flow inside."
The design of the ventilation system ensures a complete air seal from the PPEkit, Nihaal said, adding it provides a breeze of fresh air to the user in a gapof just 100 seconds.
Sharing detail why he invented the cooling PPE kit, Nihaal said he made it onlyto provide relief to her mother Dr Poonam Kaur Adarsh, who is a doctor and hasbeen treating Covid-19 patients at Adarsh clinic, Pune, a clinic she herselfruns.
"Every day after returning home, she would narrate the difficulty faced bythose like her, who are having to wear PPE suits and get themselves drenched insweat. How can I help her and others like her," the 19-year-old Nihaalthought.
The recognition of the problem led him to participate in a design challenge forCovid-related equipment, organized by Technological Business Incubator,Research Innovation Incubation Design Laboratory.
The design challenge led Nihaal to work on the first prototype. With guidancefrom Dr Ulhas Kharul of National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, Nihaal was able todevelop the first model in 20 days.
Dr Ulhas runs a start-up which does research on a membrane to filter air, withthe aim of preventing spread of Covid-19. From here, Nihaal got the idea aboutwhat type of filter he should use, in order to achieve an optimum balancebetween filtration efficiency and air flow quality.
Nihaal later got support from Somaiya Vidyavihar University's ResearchInnovation Incubation Design Laboratory (RIIDL), supported by the NationalScience and Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board (NSTEDB), under theDepartment of Science and Technology, Government of India.
The first batch of the product is already out, with around 30-40 units whichwill be delivered as trial units to doctors and NGOs across the country. Thenext batch of around 100 units is also under production.