KASHMIR NEWS ZONE CORRESPONDENT
Awantipora, April 23: Amid COVID outbreak and a presumed 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 USP of this innovation is the cost factor as this ventilator would be way cheaper as compared to what is available in the market.
The prototype named ‘Ruhdaar’ is expected to be handed over to the medical experts in the SKIMS for evaluation purpose 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 who designed and developed the said prototype was headed by Coordinator DIC, Dr. Shahkar Nehvi, Dr. Majid Hamid Koul, ex faculty IUST, Mr. Peerzada Shoaib, Asif Shah, Zulquarnain, Jawad Ahmad from IUST, Dr. Saad Parvaiz from NIT Srinagar, Dr. Shabir Hassan from Harward University as overseas mentor and Abdul Rahim from Rahim Greens.
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.
Vice Chancellor IUST, Prof. Mushtaq A. Siddiqi, himself an eminent immunologist 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,” he said and added, “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 further added that the prototype is fine and alright, but it depends on the medical fraternity to accept it or suggest certain modifications.
