Coronavirus: Standard Chartered to fund ventilator project of IIT Kanpur

Standard Chartered Bank will support an indigenised, affordable and portable ventilator prototype being developed by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur and its incubated company Nocca Robotics.

According to the Institute, Standard Chartered has approved a “generous” CSR funding that will be used for research and development of the prototype, followed by testing of the device and clinical trials.

“We are grateful to Standard Chartered for enabling our efforts towards fighting this global pandemic through their funding. Given the urgency of proper and ample healthcare facilities at this time for patients of COVID-19, this fund will help in the roll-out of the device swiftly and in time,” IIT Kanpur director Prof Abhay Karandikar said.

He observed the partnership would also motivate other corporate entities to come forward to assist IIT Kanpur in its research to mitigate the impact of this global pandemic.

ALSO READ: Coronavirus LIVE: India reports 693 new cases in last 24 hrs; total at 4067

“As a socially responsible Bank which has been in India for over 160 years, we decided to contribute in this common fight against COVID-19 and ensure a safe and healthy environment for our citizens and communities,” Standard Chartered Bank, head of sustainability, Karuna Bhatia said.

The ventilator design conceptualised by Nocca Robotics allows for large scale production at multiple sites using materials easily available with Indian suppliers and manufacturers. The ventilator is capable of working with medical airline and oxygen as well as ambient air and oxygen, thus making it usable in a variety of different conditions.

According to the IIT Kanpur, the ventilator will also be connected to a mobile phone to control the device and monitor critical information. Since it will require very low wattage to run, it can be powered using solar panels.

Meanwhile, the ventilator will be priced at a fraction of the cost proposed by the competitors across the world developing similar devices. As opposed to the non-invasive ventilators being currently developed, this design will be of the invasive kind, keeping in mind the needs of COVID-19 patients for respiratory support.

Nocca Robotics and IIT Kanpur have created a consortium of bio-medical engineers, doctors, R&D leaders, supply chain and MedTech businesses to harness their expertise and take the design from the idea to the actual product. The project is being coordinated by Prof Amitabha Bandyopadhyay, Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering and Professor-in-Charge, Startup Innovation & Incubation Center, IIT Kanpur

Set up in 1959, IIT Kanpur is currently celebrating its Diamond Jubilee. The Institute boasts of more than 40,000 alumni scattered throughout the world and in varied fields and disciplines.

The Institute’s Startup Innovation & Incubation Center supports startups and encourages the innovation amongst the students of IIT Kanpur by providing guidance, access to infrastructure facilities and funding. With over 20 departments and inter-disciplinary programmes, IIT Kanpur has a tradition of supporting research.