Developers get all creative with virus neutralising devices
When Rajah Vijay Kumar had a dentist appointment recently, he carried along his Shycocan as a precaution. Cleared by regulators in the US and EU, Scalene Hypercharge Corona Canon, or Shycocan, is a small, drum-like, plug-and-play device with a special alloy that neutralises viruses in the air in a closed space.
Developed by Kumar’s Bengalurubased Organization de Scalene and marketed by Eureka Forbes, Shycocan is one among many such innovative products, technologies and services that aim of reduce the risk — and anxiety — of infection as businesses open up and public transport resumes.
If Shycocan’s alloy releases protons of a specific wavelength that help disinfect the surfaces they strike, a device developed by Persapien Innovations in Delhi transforms tap water into antiviral droplets. Without using any biohazardous chemical, these antiviral droplets, when dispersed in the air or on a surface, can instantly kill viruses.
Many of these innovations have been developed by startups or have come from the R&D departments of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITS).
Some are already being made commercially available, while others are awaiting manufacturing partners to scale up production and hit the market.
A game changer for offices and factories, the Shycocan, which has the capability to clear a 1,000-sq ft area of the coronaviruses, was discovered quite by accident. Kumar’s firm had developed a special alloy for a project in 2017 when it was facing a lot of problems because of absenteeism during the flu season. Around 2018, the company came up with the idea to use the alloy to ward off flu viruses in their office (and subsequently, other such closed spaces).
Coronaviruses have spike-like proteins, which they use to latch on to the living cells, but the electrons released by Shycocan in the room neutralise the virus. So even if the virus enters the human body, it is an attenuated virus.
Similarly, Airlens Minus Corona by Persapien Innovations uses tap water to deal with viruses in the air or on a surface. From small rooms, such as office cabins, to large public spaces, like a mall’s atrium, the device can be built to size, says Debayan Saha, co-founder and director, Persapien Innovations.
The IIT Kharagpur and Stanford alumnus says the device plays with the physical properties of water in such a way that it transforms it into antiviral droplets, which are dispersed in the environment to kill viruses. Now recognised and approved by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Airlens Minus Corona has been proved to be bio-safe. Persapien has begun work on its manufacture and deployment.
“We would like to install this in as many schools as possible, especially in containment areas. Students should be able to come to facilities where they can access digital technology, so that they don’t remain out of the education system,” says Saha. “Industries would also work smoothly with these devices in place as will establishments like offices and malls.”
IIT Kharagpur and IIT Guwahati have also developed products and systems that can be deployed or scaled up for the marketplace. IIT Kharagpur Director Virendra Tewari says the institute has been working in several areas, including developing an artificial intelligence (Ai)-based system that can capture images of public places, compute the distance between individuals and sound an alert if the distance protocol is violated. “We have already deployed this technology in our campus marketplace and are discussing possible installations in some areas in Kolkata,” Tewari adds. Some of the institute’s products are being commercialised through its Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Park (STEP).
Students at IIT Guwahati have, meanwhile, developed a mobile application called Flyzy to provide a safe, seamless and contactless air travel experience. The one-stop smartphone application can provide contactless flight boarding facility by taking care of contactless baggage drop, manageable parking, a better airport shopping experience and necessary updates during a flight. Establishments such as malls and multiplexes are exploring these innovations. For instance, apart from incorporating “DOTPE” (contactless food ordering and payment service at its food courts), Nexus Malls has also roped in Delopt for monitoring visitors at its properties. Delopt’s system tracks heat signatures at the mall’s entrance, thereby providing the management with realtime data of walk-ins and walk-outs from Nexus’ properties. “Some cities have social distancing norms of 75 sq ft per person, others 100 sq ft. Hence, based on the city norms, social distancing is monitored not only at the mall’s entrance but also in retail shops within the mall,” says Jayen Naik, vice president, Nexus Malls. “If the numbers exceed the prescribed limit, then the entry is restricted till the desired level is achieved.”
Not just physics, Ayurveda too has inspired scientists. Recently, the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology, Pune, developed a herbal, immunity-boosting room freshener called Healthy Air that contains, among others, extracts of neem, cinnamon, Indian basil, lemon, turmeric, clove and pine oil. Kumar, meanwhile, has formed a consortium of “humanitarian” marketing and manufacturing companies to sell Shycocan at a cost-plus basis. The device is priced at ~19,999. It is important, he says, that business get back on their feet. “That’s the only way one can bring the economy back on track.”