Mysore/Mysuru: Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU), Belagavi, has taken an initiative to help the treatment of COVID-19 patients by promoting low-cost equipment. As part of this initiative, VTU Vice-Chancellor (VC) Dr. Karisiddappa had appealed the students and faculty members of affiliated Engineering Colleges in Karnataka to come up with innovative ideas and research projects and also assured financial assistance for the selected projects. 

Final year students from Mechanical Engineering Department of ATME College of Engineering (ATMECE), Mysuru — Mohammed Shuaib Khan, Mohammed Faraaz ur Rahman, Mohammed Yousuf Khan and Shahbaz Pasha — helped by Prof. M. Karthik Kumar (Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering Branch), came up with an innovative product ‘IoT Based Low Cost Smart Ambu-Bag Compressing Machine for Low Cost Ventilators.’

About 50 project proposals were received by VTU and after scrutiny, 28 projects were selected for the financial assistance. Selected projects were given an opportunity to present the details of the project through video-conferencing to the VTU Committee. After the successful presentation, the above said project was given permission to produce the product in consultation with the District Health Officer (DHO). This project has a potential to play a vital role in the cost-effective treatment of COVID-19 patients. 

The project integrates two control systems, one to supply oxygen to the patient using Ambu-Bag and the other, an alert sent to the Doctor’s mobile phone whenever the patient needs an emergency attention through an IoT-based android application.

For details about the project, contact Prof. M. Karthik Kumar on Mob: 98448-70275, according to a press release from the College.