IIT Delhi incubated startup launches N95 masks decontamination device, Chakr DeCoV

Doctors and healthcare workers are highly reliable on N95 masks in their fight against Coronavirus. Taking this high reliability into account, an IIT Delhi incubated startup Chakr Innovation recently launched an Ozone-based decontamination device. The device can decontaminate N95 masks for reuse for up to 10 times. The decontamination device is named as Chakr DeCoV. The device was launched recently through a video-conference by Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Ashwini Kumar Choubey. The minister praised the device and also congratulated the IIT Delhi incubated startup Chakr Innovation.

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IIT Delhi 2020's N95 mask decontamination device

The device has been launched at a perfect time as the country is in need of such a device to strengthen the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic. The unsafe use of N95 masks is putting the lives of healthcare workers at risk. To solve this problem, IIT Delhi incubated startup Chakr Innovation came up with this unique cost-effective technology that decontaminates N95 masks in only 90 minutes for safe reuse.

The device is designed in the shape of a cabinet and is built with an innovative decontamination mechanism. It utilises the high penetrability of the Ozone gas for cleaning the pores of the N95 masks. Ozone is a strong oxidizing agent and it destroys viruses by diffusing through the protein coat. The Ozone damages the viral RNA (ribonucleic acid). Proper dosage and exposure of Ozone in the N95 masks can result in the inactivation of SARS CoV-2. It also results in 99.9999% reduction in bacterial load, after which an N95 mask can be reused for up to 10 times without any impact on the filtration efficiency of the mask.

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IIT Delhi news

The team which developed this device at Chakr Innovation is led by Mr Tushar Batham, V-P, Engineering. The technology has been tested at IIT Delhi’s Centre for Biomedical Engineering and has undergone rigorous in-house testing for safety and reliability. Prof. V Ramgopal Rao, Director, IIT Delhi talked about this technological innovation. In a statement given on the website, he said, "IIT Delhi is committed to addressing the COVID-19 problem through its technological prowess. When it comes to serving the hospitals and our medical professionals, there is a need for providing high-quality PPEs and at the same time ensure their possible reuse and safe disposal. This is essential from a biosafety point of view. It is heartening to see Chakr Innovation working in this direction and building this product to mitigate the challenges posed by this pandemic.”