india

Updated: Apr 30, 2020 19:32 IST

New Delhi: The Pune-based Defence Institute of Advanced Technology has developed a microwave steriliser to kill the coronavirus and named it Atulya, the defence ministry said on Thursday. DIAT is a deemed university supported by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), which is among the several government agencies that have been at the forefront of the fight against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

The virus gets disintegrated by differential heating in the range of 56 to 60 degrees Celsius, the ministry said in a statement. “The product is a cost- effective solution and can be operated in portable or fixed installations. This system was tested for human/operator safety and has been found to be safe,” it said.

The sterilisation time can range from 30 to 60 seconds depending on the size and shape of objects. Weighing three kilos, it can be used for sterilising non-metallic objects only.

Different wings of the defence ministry including the armed forces, the DRDO and the Ordnance Factory Board, have designed and developed a wide range of products to support the country’s effort to contain the spread of the pandemic.

The DRDO has developed several products to combat the pandemic including ventilators, personal protective equipment (PPE) kits, large area sanitisation solutions and Covid-19 sample collection kiosks. Last week, the DRDO stepped forward to provide medical oxygen plants to hospitals in far-flung areas to generate their own oxygen supply.

As reported by Hindustan Times on April 15, the armed forces have also come up with a raft of innovations to combat the pandemic --- from modifying quadcopters to spray disinfectants over large areas to ultra-violet light sanitisers, assisted respiratory systems and 3-D printed masks.