S. Vishnu Sharma
IIT Madras partnership is all about the institution developing touchless sanitizer dispenser that can be deployed in running vehicles like cars, buses and auto-rickshaws.
This product has been brought out through IIT Madras partnership with industry and is scalable for use with
both AC and DC power supply.
IIT Madras partnership 2020
Special care has been taken in the choice of materials so that they can be safely used with liquid and gel type sanitizers. Product like this which has been brought out through IIT Madras partnership with industry can be of great use in the present scenario where there is a need to battle COVID-19.
The project work taken through IIT Madras partnership with industry was led by Dr. Kavitha Arunachalam, Associate Professor, Department of Engineering Design, IIT Madras who worked in collaboration with Mr. Anandraj G. and Mr. Rajesh D. from M/s Shima Engineering, a Chennai-based firm.
This product developed through IIT Madras partnership with industry is expected to get a good response as the need to adhere to sanity in all places is being felt. Be it while in homes or offices or even while travelling, the need of this product brought out by IIT Madras partnership with industry will be felt.
IIT Madras partnership was with Shima Engineering. The team which led the research, IIT Madras partnership with industry, is said to have developed several variants and have already received business enquiries.
They are in the process of moving to production mode. Speaking about this project which was taken up through IIT Madras partnership with industry Dr. Kavitha Arunachalam said the idea of building touchless sanitizer dispenser was initiated by M/s. Shima Engineering in mid-March 2020.
Anticipating the need for hands-free personal hygiene products after the COVID-19 pandemic, I mentored Shima Engineering to build prototypes to suit different end-users, she said.
Dr. Kavitha further said their proposal was approved by Prof. Seshadri Sekhar, Faculty In-charge, COVID-19 Projects, IIT Madras and supported by the Central Workshop, IIT Madras.
‘We fabricated few units that were installed in IIT Madras Student Dining Halls and the institute hospital besides in other areas of the campus such as the IIT Madras Research Park.’
The choice of materials and parts that will come in contact with the sanitizer are chemically stable and the unit is designed to discharge 3 millilitres in 3 seconds, which is ideal for industries/educational institutions/corporate offices.
There is no mechanical wear and tear of internal parts in this design. A rugged design has been developed based on the feedback obtained on the functioning of the prototype units that were in use since mid-April 2020 inside the campus.
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Shima Engineering is in the process of getting incubation support from IIT Madras for developing related products for personal hygiene and products for disinfecting classrooms, office spaces, shop floors and commercial buildings.
Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) was established in 1959 by the Government of India as an institute of national importance.
The Institute was formally inaugurated in 1959 by Prof. Humayun Kabir, Union Minister for Scientific Research and Cultural Affairs. The IIT system has sixteen Institutes of Technology. The first of these to be instituted are at Kharagpur (estb. 1951), Mumbai (estb. 1958), Chennai (estb. 1959), Kanpur (estb. 1959), Delhi (estb. 1961), Guwahati (estb. 1994) and Roorkee (estb. 1847, joined IITs in 2001).
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 specialisations.
IIT Madras is a residential institute with more than 580 faculty and 9,500 students. Students from 18 countries are enrolled here. IIT Madras fosters an active entrepreneurial culture with strong curricular support and through the IITM Incubation Cell.
IIT Madras has been ranked No.1 in the Overall Institutions category in India Rankings 2019 released by National Institutional Ranking Framework, Ministry of Human Resources Development, Govt. of India.
The Institute has also been ranked No.1 in the Engineering Institutions category in the same Rankings for four consecutive years – 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.
It was also adjudged as the ‘Top innovative Institution’ in the country in the Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) 2019 launched by Innovation Cell of MHRD.