Ventilators, Masks & PPE Suits: Here’s How DRDO Is Taking On Covid-19

In the wake of the Covid-19, tech startups have taken the charge and are helping the healthcare ecosystem come with unique propositions to solve medical and safety challenges. Joining these forces against Covid-19, state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has come with a slew of measures that can come handy in these situations.

To start with, the DRDO is addressing the shortage of personal protective equipment by using a special adhesive which finds its application in submarines. Scientists are testing this adhesive to make full-body suits at low cost at a scalable level. This adhesive can be used as a special coating that can strengthen high-performance fabrics. DRDO uses this adhesive for making suits of paratroopers.

DRDO has shared this technology with two companies which are now looking to manufacture around 15K to 20K suits every week. The first batch of these suits is expected to be completed shortly, according to a report by ET.

Scaling-Up Manufacturing Of Safety Gear

Besides the support in manufacturing personal protection equipment (PPE) or bodysuits, DRDO is also manufacturing five-layered N 99 face masks. These masks are being prepared at the Gwalior-based Defence Research and Development Establishment. As of now, it is manufacturing around 200K masks every week.

Further, DRDO has also come up with a reusable face shield to protect medical professionals from getting infected to coronavirus. These masks are produced at an in-house 3D printing facility used to make these masks and shields.

Additionally, the DRDO has also taken up the responsibility to scale up the manufacturing of hand sanitisers. The organisation is producing them at multiple laboratories across the country. These sanitisers are provided to government agencies and police departments.

The defence organisation is also addressing the shortage of ventilators to bolster the healthcare system of the country. DRDO chairman G Sateesh Reddy said that multi-patient ventilation kits have been developed and successfully tested that would enable the use of a single ventilator for four to eight patients in case of an emergency.

Reddy also noted that most of these technologies are developed at a low cost so that their mass-scale production can take off easily. He added that scientists throughout the country have been tasked with developing and sharing technologies at zero cost with the private sector to mass-produce critical items identified by the government, with solutions being provided overnight and personnel working overtime to tackle stumbling blocks.

Overall, the DRDO is supplying more than six items which are in high demand across the country amid the coronavirus outbreak. Reddy said that the organisation is working on to roll out more products in the coming days. For the same, the organization is in continuous touch with the private sector as well. “The scientific fraternity has felt the need of the hour and wants to use existing skills to create spin-off technologies. We are coming out with quick solutions and products. Scientists have been working day and night to rise to the occasion,” Reddy added.