In the last six months, researchers at the tech institute have developed solutions that aid the global battle against the pandemic

The global battle against the Covid-19 pandemic has been strengthened by several innovative interventions from around the world. In Chennai, the sprawling IT-Madras campus has come out with three such pathbreaking innovations: A remote patient monitoring solution; a portable hospital unit that can be installed anywhere within two hours by four people; and nano-coated air filters for healthcare workers treating Covid-19 patients.

The remote patient monitoring device, developed by IIT-Madras and Helyxon, a healthcare start-up based out of the IIT-Madras Research Park, enables clinically accurate and continuous monitoring of four critical Covid-19 parameters - temperature, oxygen saturation, respiratory rate and heart rate.

Over 5,000 devices have been sold to public and private hospitals across India, as also homes, says Mohanasankar Sivaprakasam, faculty in-charge, Healthcare Technology mnovation Centre. Priced a‚¹2,500 a¥¦ a‚¹10,000, the wireless device can be clipped to a patient's finger and the data is streamed to a mobile phone or a central monitoring system. The reusable device has a lifetime of over a year.

Travelling hospital
MediCAB, the portable 15-bed hospital unit developed by the IIT Madras incubated start-up Modulus Housing, has enabled a decentralised approach to detect, isolate and treat Covid-19 patients in their local communities. The foldable micro-structure has four zones -a doctors room, an isolation room, a medical room ward, and a twin-bed ICU maintained at negative pressure.
Shreeram Ravichandran, CEO, Team Modulus, says the MediCAB has been deployed at various locations. "Currently, we are building a 100-bed facility with CSR funding. We have implemented projects with private players, government bodies and NGOs," he says.

The use of a prefabrication modular technology and telescopic frame allows each unit to be shrunk to one-fifth its original size, making it convenient for storage and transportation. The nano-coated air filters developed by IIT-Madras for health workers also has defence applications. It was fabricated by coating a nylon-based polymer on cellulose paper through the electrospinning process. The coating can filter sub-micron dust particles.

Driving innovation
Says Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director, IIT-Madras, "We have a preincubation ecosystem on campus with a Centre for Innovation, where students can walk in with an idea and walk out with a product, with facilities and funding support."
All the faculty and research scholars at IT-Madras are involved in research, and about 50 per cent of it leads to innovations that can be commercialised, he added.
The research funding from the Government of India has been growing at a CAGR of 16-plus per cent in the last five years, while that from industry has been growing even faster at 24 per cent. Currently, the institute receives more than Rs. 500 crore per annum cumulatively from the two sources, Ramamurthi says.

"We are incubating nearly one start-up per week. The combined valuation of our start-ups is close to a‚¹7,000 crore," he adds.
Commercial value

Ravindra Gettu, Dean (Industrial Consultancy and Sponsored Research), IIT-Madras, says the role of industry in research has been growing consistently. The innovations cumulatively fetched earnings of around %25 crore through patents, he said.
From 2013 till date, the IIT-Madras Incubation Cell - with its sector-specific focus on biosciences, medical technology and rural technologies - boasts a portfolio of over 200 start-ups.

In the last financial year, nearly 88 of the start-ups generated revenue of a‚¹366 crore and more than 4,000 jobs, said sources at IIT Madras. "All these are deep-technology start-ups that incorporate sophisticated engineering and high-end manufacturing in their products," said an official.