S. Vishnu Sharma
IIT Madras, Indian Institute of Technology Madras incubated startup ‘Muse Wearables’ is developing novel and scalable methods for coating textiles with nano particles-based antimicrobial agents that can inactivate the human corona virus on contact.
These coatings are expected to be effective up to 60 wash cycles, thereby making the textiles re-usable. The coated textiles can be primarily used to manufacture N95 masks, surgical masks, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and food packaging bags with inherent properties of inactivating the corona virus.
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IIT Madras incubated Muse Wearables’ current pilot machine can coat textiles of length up to 100 metres within a few minutes, thereby making it a viable commercial solution that can be deployed at once.
Muse Wearables was incubated by IIT Madras Incubation Cell. Praising companies like Muse Wearables which are incubated by IIT Madras for their efforts in fighting COVID-19 pandemic Dr. Tamasvati Ghosh, Chief Executive Officer, IIT Madras Incubation Cell said they are very proud of their startups who are working on a range of products that are vital to India’s fight against COVID-19 from N95 masks to intubation boxes and ventilators to affordable testing kits.
They have quickly mobilized and repurposed their offerings in response to the situation and are striving to make a positive contribution to the nation’s anti-virus efforts, she said.
‘IIT Madras Incubation Cell continues to assist its startups through these challenging times and hopes that industry support will help them ramp up their efforts in a more meaningful way.’
Currently, Muse Wearables is assembling the coating machine and will shortly commence coating various textiles with different nano particle solutions.
Their coated textiles is expected to be ready for testing by the first week of May 2020. The start-up is also partnering with a mask manufacturing company to launch five-layered Antiviral N95 Masks at an estimated price of Rs. 300 per piece.
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Highlighting the unique aspects of these nano-particles coated textiles, Mr. K.L.N. Sai Prasanth, Chief Executive Officer, Conzumex Industries which operates the brand ‘Muse Wearables’ said their solution tries to solve the current pandemic problem at the root level by inactivating coronavirus permanently.
As soon as it comes in contact with the coated nano particles, its structure is permanently destroyed by the nano particles.
For example, people using masks made by our coated textiles will not transmit the virus to others or have less chances of the virus getting transmitted to them, he said.
He further said that their coating process is scalable, which means it can be deployed in any textile industry as a textile finishing process.
The solution they are developing are not confined to a research laboratory but can be used for commercial purposes.
A highlight about the nano-particle coated textiles developed by IIT Madras incubated startup is that it It continuously captures and destroys viruses and other microbes upon contact. Other viruses as small as 30 nano metre can also be inactivated permanently.
The other highlight of the textiles brought out by IIT Madras incubated startup is it does not leach while washing in water and is environment-friendly.
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After requests from other businesses, Muse Wearables plans to deploy similar machines in their manufacturing process or supply the textiles themselves.
They are also looking for grants to further scale up. Once the pandemic is over, they will develop other kinds of applications using these fabrics and use them in our future wearable products.
Sai Prasanth said with their current technology development, they have the opportunity to apply for nine patents in the area of activated textiles.
‘We are now looking to partner with various labs that can test the efficacy of our Coated textiles on Novel Corona virus. Once we find the right lab, we will send samples to measure the surface decay rate of Novel Corona virus on the coated and uncoated textiles.’
Once they get certified, they will start the mass production of the coated textiles to be used in various applications, he said.
Indian Institute of Technology Madras, also known as IIT Madras was established in 1959 by the Government of India as an institute of national importance. The activities of the Institute in various fields of Technology and Science are carried out in 16 academic departments and several advanced interdisciplinary Research Academic Centres.
The Institute offers undergraduate and post – graduate programmes leading to the B.Tech., M.Sc., M.B.A., M.Tech., M.S., and Ph.D., degrees in a variety of specializations. IITM is a residential institute with more than 580 faculty and 9,500 students. Students from 18 countries are enrolled here. IITM fosters an active entrepreneurial culture with strong curricular support and through the IIT Madras incubation cell.