DRDO develops disinfection chamber, face mask amid Coronavirus outbreak

A unit of the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has designed a full-body disinfection chamber for healthcare workers who are in the forefront of battle against coronavirus, it said on Saturday. The Vehicle Research and Development Establishment, a DRDO laboratory at Ahmednagar in Maharashtra, has developed a `Personnel Sanitization Enclosure', an official release said here.

The walk-through enclosure is a portable system equipped with sanitizer and soap dispenser.

"The decontamination is started using a foot pedal at the entry. On entering the chamber, anelectrically operated pump creates a disinfectant mist of hyposodium chloride for disinfecting," the DRDO release said.

"The mist spray is calibrated for the operation of 25 seconds and stops automatically...personnel undergoing disinfection will need to keep their eyes closed while inside the chamber," it said.

Some 650 personnel can pass through the chamber for disinfection until a refill of sanitizing solution is needed. The system was manufactured with the help of M/s Dass Hitachi Ltd, Ghaziabad, within four days, and can be used for disinfection of personnel at entry and exit to hospitals, malls, office buildings and critical installations, the DRDO release said.

The Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad and Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory, Chandigarh, have developed a face protection mask for doctors and nurses who are treating COVID-19 patients, it said.

"Its lightweight construction makes it convenient for comfortable wear for a long duration," the release added.

Image Credits: ANI