Low-cost ventilator built to fight Covid

Srinagar, April 23

Amid the Covid-19 outbreak and a presumed shortage of ventilators, engineers and innovators at the Design Innovation Centre (DIC) of Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST) have created a prototype of a low-cost ventilator which is running successfully in the laboratory.

The prototype named ‘Ruhdaar’ is expected to be handed over to medical experts in the SKIMS for evaluation once the innovators are satisfied with its functioning in the laboratory.

The team that designed and developed the prototype is headed by coordinator DIC, Dr Shahkar Nehvi, Dr Majid Hamid Koul, ex-faculty IUST, 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 medical experts who will have to use it. Once the prototype is approved by the medical experts, there is a possibility of manufacturing it for commercial use,” they said. —TNS