The kiosk raises an alarm if a person’s temperature and oxygen levels are not correct
A first-of-its-kind self-check kiosk to detect and prevent novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been developed by a team of scientists from the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT-Guwahati).
The small structure developed by IIT-Guwahati in collaboration with Workspace Metal Solutions Private Ltd, Udaipur is fully automated and has been designed in accordance with World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.
It instantly detects and records the syndromes associated with COVID-19 such as body temperature and blood oxygen content and raises an alarm in case these are beyond limits. It takes only takes about 30 seconds to check whether a person is safe to enter the premises or not.
The kiosk features a first-of-its-kind UV-C disinfectant box capable of killing viruses / bacteria present on the surfaces of luggage, bags, keys, mobiles, wallets etc thereby reducing the risk of spreading.
When a person enters the premise of the kiosk, s / he has to stand on the footmarks marked in front of the kiosk after removing the face mask and align the face in the grid displayed on the screen to measure the body temperature.
Once the temperature is measured, the individual will have to wave his / her hand over the sensor of the UV-C chamber to open its door for keeping the belongings inside. The UV-C box will perform a 360⁰ disinfection on the entire exposed surface.
The individual will have to place his / her index finger on the SpO₂ sensor to check the oxygen saturation in the body (Oxygen above 95 per cent is a sign of a healthy human body).
After this, the individual can disinfect his / her hands by placing them below the automatic sanitiser dispenser unit. Post-hand sanitisation, the individual can collect the belongings from UV-C chamber and can proceed further.
A self-check kiosk has already been installed at the IIT Guwahati campus.
“The kiosk installed at IIT-Guwahati campus is IoT enabled and its data analysis system is capable of face identification and creating employee / person health historical data,” Senthilmurugan Subbiah, associate professor, department of chemical engineering, IIT- Guwahati, said.
“The kiosk’s AI-based software system is capable of monitoring an individual’s health from historical data and in case of abnormal temperature and SpO2 level measured, the kiosk generates an alarm to health department authorities of their company / organization / institute. The innovative UVC system design is capable of emitting UVC radiation from six surfaces of the UVC box and that provides 99.99 per cent of viral / bacterial disinfection in 10 seconds,” he added.
“The current catastrophic situation made us realise the importance of hygiene for a safe environment. The self-check kiosk is an invaluable solution for quick detection of illnesses and reducing the spread of bacteria and viruses. This is a 100 per cent Indian product and I feel that it will be a very good resource to fight the pandemic,” Puneet Talesara, IIT-Guwahati alumni and founder, Workspace Metal Solutions Pvt Ltd, Udaipur, said.
The cost of a self-check kiosk varies from Rs 3.5-7.5 lakh, depending on the specification and features. The product has already been commercialised. The team has also filed for a patent.
The self-check kiosk has been developed by Subbiah and Talesara. (India Science Wire)
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