Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) and Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Chennai, have collaborated with Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), the UK, to develop India-centric air sanitisation technologies and guidelines to prevent the spread of coronavirus and tuberculosis (TB). The system is aimed at deployment in confined indoor places such as offices and hospitals.

The joint research aims to develop a robust low-cost bio-aerosol protection system to suppress air-transmitted diseases in indoor locations. In collaboration with Magneto Cleantech, a pioneering industry startup based in Delhi, the testing and implementation will be done with real-time applications in various Indian environments.

The target geographies for this project are India and its adjacent countries. The major factor working with this area is the high population and heavy urban pollution. 

Project Coordinator Prof Abdus Samad, Department of Ocean Engineering, IIT Madras, said, “The projects’ goal is to develop a solution that is extensively verified and tested from both theoretical and practical perspectives, and finally, the safety made visible in a consumer-friendly manner ensuring the live performance of the system.”

The joint consortium will develop products that would be commercialised through Magneto along with the academic institutions. This will pave the way for many new job openings for young budding engineers. 

This project has major funding from Royal Academy Engineering (RAENG), UK, under the ‘Transforming System through Partnership’ scheme. The total budget of the project is about £80,000, and it is for two years (April-2021 to April-2023). Partial funding support is also made by the participating organisations.