Trial of battery-operated masks on athletes to ensure intense training amid COVID-19 threat

Claiming to be the very best in making certain optimum oxygen for the wearer, battery-operated masks designed by an IIT-Kharagpur alumni will probably be placed on trial for India’s Olympic-bound athletes by the IOA to help their intense coaching.

The IOA has tied up with IIT Kharagpur’s Piyush Agarwal, who at the moment owns a startup ‘PQR Technology Private Limited’ and has bought authorities funding below the ‘KAWACH Mask Project’. His start-up is at the moment hooked up with IIT Delhi.

The model identify of the masks is ‘Moksha’.

Agarwal has been within the enterprise of designing and manufacturing masks for the final two years, beginning first with air pollution masks.

IOA Secretary General Rajeev Mehta mentioned that the battery-operated masks, which value round Rs 2200 every, will probably be trialled first on just a few Olympic-bound athletes.

If they don’t face any respiratory points and after approval from the IOA Medical Commission, the masks will then be utilized by all of the Olympic-bound athletes and others.

“I was initially very guarded about resumption of training by athletes but since the athletes have started training and we don’t know when this pandemic will end, we have to think about the best way possible and this idea of masks which seems safe for intensive training struck us,” Mehta advised PTI.

“If the athletes feel comfortable in the trial, we will order 1000 masks initially. We are hoping to give the masks to 10-15 athletes initially for trial. We will start the trial in 10 days,” he added.

The coaching for many sports activities has resumed throughout the nation however the athletes have been advised to keep away from intense exercises or regimens to keep away from the chance of coronavirus an infection.

Mehta mentioned if the Indian mission is profitable, the IOA can advocate using these masks to different international locations additionally.

Agarwal claimed his masks will serve two functions — save athletes from COVID-19 and permit them to do intense coaching because of a design which permits higher oxygen consumption than different masks. “There is no other mask in the world which provides better oxygen intake to the wearer than what we are offering. It will be safe for the athletes to wear these masks and do intensive training also,” he mentioned. The masks will probably be carried by the athletes in a pouch when not in use. Each masks has two respiratory valves with a fan on each side. The followers don’t produce any sound.

Both the valves may have N95 air filters to guard the athlete from COVID-19 virus. The left valve is supposed for inhalation whereas the correct would open for exhaling.

“The fan on the left valve will suck air which will pass through the N95 filter. The right valve meant for exhaling also has the N95 filter so that other people are protected.” The batteries could be tied to the waist or arms of the athletes via a wire. Once charged, they may final eight hours.

“A normal human being requires 8 litres of air but an athlete, during training, needs 15-20 litres. These masks will allow maximum oxygen for inhalation and so they should not face any problem,” Agarwal mentioned.

Medical specialists have expressed worry that some quantity of carbon dioxide could stay contained in the masks throughout exhalation however Agarwal mentioned the followers in every valve are highly effective sufficient to make sure that there isn’t any residue.

“A normal household exhaust fan has around 4000 rpm (revolutions per minute) but the fans in these masks have 8500 rpm, so there is no chance of any carbon dioxide remaining,” he mentioned.

“I have applied for patent also but it takes five years in India (to get approved).”