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IIT Roorkee develops low-cost 3D printed face shields for health care professionals fighting COVID-19 pandemic
The shield has been developed by a group of students and professors in the premier institute’s technical facility named ‘The Tinkering Laboratory’ which provides a platform to the students for innovative experiments, said IIT officials.
In an effort to help health care professionals in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee has developed a low-cost 3D printed face shields as a protective measure from the deadly virus infection while attending patients.
The shield has been developed by a group of students and professors in the premier institute’s technical facility named ‘The Tinkering Laboratory’ which provides a platform to the students for innovative experiments, said IIT officials.
Professor Akshay Dvivedi, co-ordinator, The Tinkering Laboratory, said the face shield is “based on the design of spectacles with a 3D printed frame. This protective gear could be used by the frontline health staffers who are involved in treating the patients.”
Calling the gear a “token of thanksgiving to the health professionals for their services in these times of crisis”, Dvivedi said, “The 3D printed frame consists of a transparent sheet attached to it to protect the face which could be replaced.”
The professor said the cost of developing the face shield was close to ₹45. “Of the total cost, the transparent sheet costs ₹5. If mass-produced, the cost of the whole product could come down to ₹25.”
“We will soon be sending the first batch of 100 such face shields to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Rishikesh,” he said.
Lauding the effort of IIT for the face shield, AIIMS Rishikesh director, Dr Ravi Kant said, “IIT Roorkee’s product would be of great use for not only the health workers of AIIMS Rishikesh but of the whole country. It is a valuable innovation in this hour of need.”
