Industries in India have not been able to produce bio-suits on a massive scale due to the non-availability of seam sealing tapes. However, scientists at India’s state-owned defence lab have now prepared a special sealant as an alternative, which is based on the sealant used in submarine applications.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) says it has developed a bio-suit using a special sealant, which will keep doctors and medics fighting COVID-19 safe.
“Scientists at various DRDO laboratories have applied their technical know-how and expertise in textile, coating and nanotechnology to develop the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) having specific type of fabric with coating,” says the state-owned defence lab.
The bio-suit has passed the test of protection against synthetic blood, the key criteria for body suits as defined by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).
Targeting production of the bio-suits in large numbers, DRDO has roped in Kusumgarh Industries to produce the raw materials.
While the current production capacity is 7,000 suits per day, the lab says it is on course to ramp that up to 15,000.
India has seen a sharp rise in the number of COVID-19 cases in recent days with 1,860 as of Thursday and 53 deaths.