IIT Kanpur Develops Under INR 100 PPE For Health Workers

20-Apr-20

Spread of COVID-19 has resulted in a huge demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) for workers in essential services exposed to high-risk environments.

Standard PPE kits have become scarce, hence there is a need for low-cost and mass producible alternatives that provide protection for the entire body.

A team of IIT Kanpur researchers and industry partners designed the PIPES (Polyethylene based Improvised Protective Equipment under Scarcity) Kit based on thin cylindrical rolls/pipes of polyethylene (polythene), which is non-porous and commonly used in the industry for packaging and making plastic-bags.

IIT Kanpur has placed the design and the production process of the PIPES Kit is open-source, so that MSME anywhere can start making them in large quantities within a few days.

They expect manufacturers to be able to sell the kits at a price under Rs. 100. Viewers can visit www.pipeskit.org for design details