As the urgency of developing a cure to combat COVID-19 heightens around the world and international leaders tenaciously seek help over equipment, testing kits and even protective gear, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Thursday shared some positive news. The DRDO has been able to develop a bio-suit to keep medical and paramedical personnel safe from the novel virus.
The Indian Defence Ministry, in a statement, spoke about how DRDO scientists have worked hard and been able to achieve this with their technical expertise in nanotechnology, textiles and coating to come up with this comprehensive Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
The statement said that the suit has been developed after putting it to rigorous testing for textile parameters in accordance to the nature of the virus. It manages to protect the person wearing it from synthetic blood.
The protection against synthetic blood exceeds the criteria defined for body suits by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).
DRDO is pulling all stops to ensure that the suit’s production happens in large numbers and serves the medical community on the front line in combatting COVID-19. The statement also mentioned that two private companies have been zeroed in on to partner with DRDO in production of these suits.
The production of these suits in the nation is being stalled due to unavailability of seam sealing tapes but as an alternative, the DRDO has prepared a special sealant, it said.
Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS) Delhi, has developed a reusable suit for first responders attending to radiological emergencies, the statement added.
The Indian navy, in a separate statement, said that the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai has designed and developed its own handheld infrared-based temperature sensor for the screening of personnel.
This instrument is being manufactured under Rs. 1000 through in house resources and happens to cost a fraction of that of a Temperature Gun in the market.
The statement also added that the 285 year old Naval Dockyard (ND) of Western Naval Command (WNC) receives around 20,000 personnel on an average, every day. The most basic method to screen a possible patient would be to check their body temperature by a non-contact means.
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