IIT launches a Covid-19 Test Bus in Mumbai capable of conducting 5 million tests per month – Business Insider India

Posted: May 9, 2020 at 6:45 am

On Maharashtra Day on May 1, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Alumni Council launched a test bus that can reduce the cost of testing by over 80% without compromising on the testing capacity. IIT Alumni Council is a global alumni body for all the twenty three IITs.

The IIT Alumni Council has taken a proactive approach to supporting the Governments efforts in fighting the Covid-19 challenge. We have acted swiftly and set up the IIT C19 Task Force to channelise the energies of the global IIT Alumni for this fight, said Ravi Sharma, President, IIT Alumni Council.

The move is aimed at supporting the health department in tackling the pandemic that has caused 361 deaths and over 11,000 infections in Mumbai alone. Indias testing capacity stood at 177 tests per million, as on April 15.

Advertisement

The IIT C19 Test Bus is based on the Kodoy architecture model that can facilitate affordable and rapid testing. It involves e-vehicles for sample selection & telemedicine, algorithm based pooled genetic testing and megalabs that are capable of conducting up to five million tests per month per lab.

The Covid-19 Test Bus is based on indigenous technology and to the best of our knowledge, is the first vehicle of its kind in the world with onboard genetic testing, AI-based teleradiology and contactless sample collection. We chose Mumbai as the launch location given the relatively high number of cases in the city, Sharma said.

Advertisement

At first, a digital chest x-ray would be carried out and sent to the doctors online. The healthcare staff will then use artificial intelligence to see the probability of a person having Coronavirus.

Then we collect the swab from the mouth and throat which is done across a glass screen whilst fully protecting the technician from any kind of contact with the patient, said Dr Muffazal Lakadawala, Chief Medical Officer at the NSCI hub.

Advertisement

To onboard the lab space on the test bus, the IIT Alumni Council has partnered with Krsnaa Diagnostics, a venture-capital funded laboratory in India.

See also:Googles mobility report reveals that nearly half of Maharashtras workforce went to work despite Coronavirus lockdownAdvertisement

View original post here:
IIT launches a Covid-19 Test Bus in Mumbai capable of conducting 5 million tests per month - Business Insider India

Related Posts

Comments are closed.

Archives