ETEX, a start-up from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT-D) that develops smart textile solutions for healthcare, has come up with a cheap and effective face mask for protecting and safeguarding people from the risk of the novel coronavirus. At ₹45, the masks, called 'Kawach', are at par with N95 ones and can reach a larger section of the masses.
The mask is backed by strong technical inputs from the core textile team in the department of textile and fibre engineering at the institute.ETEX, a start-up from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT-D) that develops smart textile solutions for healthcare, has come up with a cheap and effective face mask for protecting and safeguarding people from the risk of the novel coronavirus. At ₹45, the masks, called 'Kawach', are at par with N95 ones and can reach a larger section of the masses.#
N95 masks are unaffordable for the masses. The Kawach masks are at par with N95 in terms of proper fitting and engineered filtration layer that can provide up to 98 per cent filtration efficiency, according to Indian media reports.
Though a non-woven layer is must for ensuring desired filtration level, but the loose fibrous structure makes the product disposable after one use. Disposing of synthetic polypropylene non-woven could have a detrimental effect on environment as well, Bipin Kumar from the department said.
The ETEX team is also working on new prototype designs for the mask to make it washable and reusable for at least 10 times.
The start-up is seeking funding support from several government institutions to scale up.
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