A group of students from IIT Guwahati has developed a drone which can spray disinfectants to sanitise large areas and prevent the spread of novel coronavirus.

Anant Mittal, a B Tech third year student, said the system can be deployed and operated by just one person.

He said the drones can also be used to record videos.

“We have approached the Assam and Uttarakhand governments to join the fight against coronavirus with the drone sprayer which can accomplish the task in less than 15 minutes, which would take a worker around one-and-a-half-days,” The Telegraph quoted Mittal as saying.

He said there was no response from the governments but hoped they would approach them.

The student said to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, they have reduced the price.

“Depending on the nature of the drones, the price may vary between Rs 8 lakh and Rs 18 lakh,” said the 22-year-old student.

Mittal said these drones have the capability to spray disinfectants over large areas (parks, roads, highways and footpaths, among others) with highest efficiency, precision and all-automated RTE (runtime environment) technology.

“On the other hand, these drones can also record videos and function as a surveillance tool,” he said.

According to the five-member team, the drone can spray two to four litres of disinfectant per minute and can be filled twice with a single charge.

Mittal said they could manufacture 15 to 20 drones within 20 days.

“Each drone has a lifespan of five years and we will provide a 12-month warranty for each machine,” he said.

He said the drones can spray two to four litres per minute and filled twice on a single charge. It can cover over 1.2-hectare area in one flight and can spray at night as well.