Awantipora: Amid COVID outbreak and presuming the shortage of ventilators, the engineers and innovators at Design Innovation
Centre (DIC) of Islamic University of Science and Technology have created a prototype of a low-cost ventilator which is running successfully in the laboratory.
The prototype named ‘Ruhdaar’ is
expected to be handed over to the medical experts in the SKIMS for evaluation purposes which will immediately begin once the innovators are satisfied with its functioning in the laboratory.
The raw materials for the said frugal ventilator are easily available within J&K and India.
Team members headed by Coordinator DIC, Dr. Shahkar Nehvi, Dr. Majid Hamid Koul, ex faculty IUST who recently joined the NIT, Mr. Peerzada Shoaib, Asstt. Prof. IUST, Two IUST Alumini Mr. Asif Shah and Mr. Zulquarnain, Mr. Jawad, Design Fellow IUST, Dr. Saad Parvaiz from NIT Srinagar, Dr. Shabir Hassan from Harward University as overseas mentor and Mr. Ab. Rahim from Rahim Greens contributed towards the designing of the said prototype.
The prototype ventilator is too cheap in comparison to what is available in the market. While the prototype, is working successfully in the laboratory, it eventually will be assessed by the medical experts who will have to use it. Once the prototype is approved by medical experts, there is the possibility of manufacturing it for commercial use.
Meanwhile Vice Chancellor IUST, Prof. Mushtaq A. Siddiqi has congratulated the entire team for this huge achievement. I am thrilled because our team members has achieved it in a very short span of time, It is our own design and its components are mostly local, Prof. Siddiqi expressed. He said that the University will go for patenting and handover the technology to a start-up or couple of start-ups, so that the ventilator is produced on the large scale. Prof. Siddiqi himself an eminent immunologist further added that the prototype is fine and alright, but it depends on the medical fraternity to accept it or suggest certain modifications.
(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed)