From face masks, automatic sanitisers to swab collection kiosks, students of Industrial Training Institute (ITI) Berhampur have been using technology to innovate products that are aimed at helping the people and Odisha government in their fight against the deadly Covid-19. The latest invention in their lab is an oxygen cylinder lifter that can be used to lift multiple oxygen cylinders to a hospital in one go. “Transportation of oxygen from the production unit to the hospital bed involves various stages of logistics in supply chain management. Currently when oxygen cylinders are being brought to hospitals, they are manually shifted to the hospital which is not only arduous but also involves safety issues”, said Principal of the ITI, Rajat Kumar Panigrahi.
The cylinder lifter or the transporter designed by the students and staff of ITI has been designed to ease the process. The manually-operated device can carry cylinders up to 160 kg weight to the hospital bed with only one person operating it. “Our five-member team under the leadership of faculty member Bichitrananda Padhiary has fabricated it. We are ready to supply this device to the Covid hospitals instantly whenever we are asked to,” said the Principal, who was also involved in designing the device. The five innovators are students Anil Mishra, Diuti Krishan, Sachidananda Acharya, Narayan Dash and Mahaveer Seth. The Principal added that the students are in the process of inventing more such devices.
In fact, students of ITI-Berhampur, which is the 11th bests ITIs in the country as announced by the Government of India, have in the last one year since outbreak of coronavirus developed 15 devices including the oxygen cylinder lifter, using their technical expertise to aid the government in its fight against the virus. The ITI-Berhampur has already obtained patent for four of the products - Smart CoViD Security System, UVC Robo Warrior, Mobile Swab Collection Kiosk and Smart UVC Sole Disinfection System, thereby joining the club of IITs and NITs which have dominated the research scene in the country over the years. Speaking about the mobile swab collection kiosk, the principal said that it protects the swab collector from getting infected. The suspected patient stays outside the kiosk and collector inside.
By a negative pressure technology using HEPA filters, the aerosols are filtered, keeping the kiosk free from coronavirus. The sole sanitizing device includes a portable platform and a pair of shoe sole receiving sections including open bottom surface. The platform also includes disposable transparent mats and UVC light source that disinfects the shoe sole. The robot, named Robo Warrior is equipped with a UV light source and is capable of disinfecting vehicles. “Some of our other products include UVC Sanitizer, Aerosol Box, and Automatic Sanitizer Dispenser and face masks which are being provided to Covid hospitals and institutions currently”, said Panigrahy.
The innovations by ITI-Berhampur students have not only earned them praise from the Union Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Mahendra Nath Pandey, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik but also Prime Minister Narendra Modi who spoke about the UVC Shoe Sole Sanitiser in his Maan Ki Baat. Last month, the institute was also honoured with a gold medal at the 72nd SKOCH summit for developing innovative products to fight Covid-19. Panigrahy dedicated the award to all the Covid Warriors.