Start-ups develop cost-effective devices that promise to be part of daily life
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage the world, innovations are springing pleasant surprises about human ingenuity and adaptability.
Robots that dispense food and medicines, mask disinfectors and devices that, in real time, naturalise airborne bacteria and viruses are responses that have come up in a period of around a year-and-a-half, bolstering the fight against the pandemic and promising to be part of daily life even after the world conquers the virus.
Incubated at the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) in Kochi, Asimov Robotics has come up with cost-effective robots to dispense food, medicines, and other consumables inside isolation wards. The robot was first deployed at the Government Medical College at Kalamassery successfully. They disinfect items used by patients and allow them to communicate with doctors and relatives outside, said T . Jayakrishnan, CEO of Asimov Robotics. He added that the first set of robots, developed in collaboration with Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), were being improved upon to integrate functions like checking of temperature, oxygen level, and face mask and dispensation of sanitisers. The product has generated a lot of interest and is also being deployed banks.
GoK Direct is a mobile application by Qkopy. The app gives information and alerts about COVID-19 directly from the Department of Information and Public Relations. The application has been a great success with around one million downloads and nearly three lakh users on a daily basis, said Rajiv Surendran, co-founder and chief operating officer of QKopy, incubated at KSUM.
VST Mobility Solutions, incubated at KSUM, has developed BIN-19, a smart bin for collecting and disinfecting used face masks in collaboration with SCTIMST. The product has been a great success and recently bagged a huge order from Denmark, said Alwin George, founder of the start-up, which has also developed an ultra violet light-based multipurpose disinfector used for disposing of contaminated / used face masks. The device has been deployed across Kerala, he added.
Allabout Innovations, incubated under KSUM, has been a huge success thanks to its pioneering electronic device that provides real-time sterilization to contain airborne spread of COVID-19. Wolf Airmask ruptures SARS-CoV-2 going by results of tests conducted at the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology. Wolf Airmask can reduce 99% of the novel coronavirus in just 15 minutes, claimed Shyam Krishnan Kurup, one of the directors. The product is already available on e-platforms and should be available in conventional outlets across Kerala soon.
Several other developments are taking place and have met with success with the fight against the pandemic getting intensified. QuikDr Healthcare, a KSUM-incubated start-up has provided a comprehensive telemedicine solution for free to the State government. QuikDr helps patients consult senior doctors for free. The platform is now being used by around 200 patients daily, and nearly 700 doctors are available for consultation, said Safil Sunny, CEO.
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