In 48 hrs, researchers in city develop masks for clinicians

Hyderabad: Amid shortage of medical equipment, researchers at the

LV Prasad

Eye Institute’s (LVPEI) Center for Innovation have developed a protective face mask for its clinicians and front-line staff in less than 48 hours.

A team led by Sandeep Vempati who is currently working as a project lead at the Centre for Innovation at LVPEI, Hyderabad decided to design a protective face mask made out of A3 sized lamination sheets. The lamination sheets are easily available in the market across the country.

“Many colleagues expressed that they want a face mask that would help them screen patients without any risk. That’s when I decided to design this protective face mask. This mask shields a person from head to neck with absolutely no openings for passage of aerosol,” said Vempati.

The team created a prototype in four hours, made a manufacturable version of it the same evening and contacted vendors the next day. Barely 48 hours later, the design of the product that has a production cost of Rs 50 per piece, was ready for use.

“We used 3D printers from our innovation center to make the prototype. To scale up the production, we contacted our vendors who were able to do mass production, thereby reducing the cost drastically,” said Vempati.

The design of the product is also shared as an open-source file far and wide with other organizations to replicate it. “We have received requests from other hospitals to make these protective masks for them. We have added vendors to our list whom the hospitals can connect with and place orders. A Hyderabad-based hospital recently placed requests for 500 face masks,” said Sandeep Vempati.

Currently, 250 shields are being used by LVPEI doctors and its frontline staff. They have also coordinated with local vendors in Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh to make 150 shields for the military team there. Vendors have been identified in Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Bangalore, Mumbai, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh for helping local hospitals and clinics manufacture these visors. Over one lakh pieces of the design have been manufactured and deployed (through our partners) in Mexico and regions in the USA.