Technology Development Board provides financial support to six startups helping prevent COVID-19
TBD has been supporting the efforts of entrepreneurs developing technologies that include thermal scanners, medical devices, masks and diagnostic kits for COVID-19.
Technology Development Board (TDB), a statutory body of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), said it has approved projects of six startups which have been working towards the prevention and containment of the COVID-19 pandemic.
TDB has been supporting the efforts of scientists, technologists, entrepreneurs and industrialists, especially over the last two months, in a bid to find ideas and implements that could prevent the virus from further spreading. The organisation has provided financial support for commercialisation of technologies such as thermal scanners, medical devices, masks and diagnostic kits.
Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary of DST said in a statement:
"The time of COVID-19 has shown us many paths to commercialisation of indigenous technologies and products by seamlessly connecting the push of knowledge from academia and research labs to the pull of market with a clear purpose, relevance, need, ease of support, transparency, dedication, cooperation and accountability. The speed and scale of TDB support are some of the compelling examples of our new normal that would continue to serve in the Mission Swavalamban -- Self-sufficient India."
Here are the six startups shortlisted by TDB:
Cocoslabs Innovation plans to commercialise a low-cost solution to identify people with abnormal body temperatures in a crowd, and at the same time, provide an alert system to notify the identified person to authorities. Based out of Bengaluru, this artificial intelligence (AI)-backed software provides real-time detection, using video analytics platform for alerts, combined with a low-cost thermal camera, and GPU servers, to detect abnormal temperature.
Bengaluru-based startup, Advanced Mechanical, has developed an infrared-based temperature scanner to provide real-time alerts and anlaytics using AI and IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things).
Coimbatore-based Latome Electric envisages commercialisation of battery-powered portable X-Ray machines with digital display as standalone medical radiography equipment, suitable for Intensive Care Units and isolation wards.
Thincr Technologies of Pune provides coating and 3D printing of anti-viral agents on masks as a preventive measure against COVID-19. It uses a sodium olefun sulfonate-based mixture for coating the masks.
Based out of New Delhi, Medzome Life Sciences manufactures rapid diagnostic kits for malaria, dengue, pregnancy and typhoid. It now intends to manufacture fluorescence-based Rapid COVID-19 Detection Kit. The startup plans to deploy them commercially in the next two to three months.
Earlier, TDB had also approved funding of Pune-based Mylab Discovery. It was the first indigenous company to develop real-time PCR-based molecular diagnostic kit that can screen and detect samples of people who display flu-like symptoms.
Edited by Aparajita Saxena