Found that Oxygen cylinder transportation was unsafe, prof immediately came up with a solution.

Oxygen cylinders have been in great demand ever since the second wave of COVID-19 has hit India. The dire need for oxygen increased their production and though the number of cylinders has got to increase eventually, their transportation also posed challenges. Carrying the oxygen cylinders to the end-users bed within the stipulated timeframe stood as an uphill task with almost no proper means to transport them. Here is where prominent institutes of India like the IITs and NITs have come into the picture to solve the real-time issues faced by the country in fighting the pandemic. However, proving not to be less than such reputed institutions, another institute that's spread across the nation also has come forward with its calibre to stand by the nation in these tough times. It is ITI, Odisha and Rajat Kumar Panigrahi, the Director of ITI, has come up with an oxygen cylinder stroller that is now saving time and lives.

The Man Behind The Innovation: 

At the Berhampur Industrial Training Institute which was ranked 11th in the country by the Government of India, there's a man who drives his team of staff and students towards new inventions and contributes towards the betterment of the people. He is the PhD holder and the laboratory director of ITI, Berhampur, Odisha; Professor Rajat Kumar Panigrahi. With many resourceful innovations to his credit in the past, Prof. Rajat Kumar was yet again moved by the current covid situation where the problem of transporting oxygen cylinders is landing the lives of emergency patients in trouble. When a COVID-19 centre was opened in their laboratory, Prof Rajat Kumar Panigrahi observed that the workers did not dare to go inside the hospital carrying the oxygen cylinders with the fear of containing the virus. The hospital staff then took the help of the patient's family and went on to insert a heavy tube inside. It is then that Rajat Kumar Panigrahi understood how complicated everything is with an oxygen cylinder. He further felt that it consumed a lot of time, causing a delay in treatment thereby putting the life of the patient in danger. He geared up into action immediately and began to think of possible solutions. He kicked off to work along with his team of researchers and came up with a new innovation that will provide oxygen cylinders to the patients in the hospital. “Transportation of oxygen from the production unit to the hospital bed involves various stages of logistics in supply chain management. Currently, when oxygen cylinders are being brought to hospitals, they are manually shifted to the hospital which is not only arduous but also involves safety issues”, explained the Principal of ITI, Rajat Kumar Panigrahi.

The Life Saviour On Wheels: 

Prof Rajat Kumar Panigrahi who began to work on the idea of easy transportation and reachability of oxygen cylinders came up with an oxygen cylinder lifter. This lifter can be used to lift a number of oxygen cylinders to a hospital in one go. Professor Rajat Kumar worked with a team of five ITIs to create the trolley in just a few days. The 2.7 feet long stroller can carry a weight of over 160kg. This stroller can also be driven on the rough terrains that are found generally in remote areas. As most of the small clinics are built in remote areas and have poor cladding, his stroller is designed to run on such lands as well. "Uneven cement floors and floors are sometimes encountered. That’s why we use stroller scooter wheels to move smoothly on any surface. These wheels also make it easier to load heavy loads onto the sidecar", he explained. This manually operated device can carry a load of up to 160 kg to the hospital bed with just one person operating it. The faculty member of ITI Bichitrananda Padhiary's leadership had five members in it who have fabricated the stroller. This wheelchair demonstration model was first used at the Covid Institute Hospital. Alongside, ITI has released 5 different strollers which are also being used in different covid Care centres across the city. Professor Rajat wishes more people to be able to create and use these carts by sharing his design and development process with as many people, manufacturers and welders as possible. “I hope this device will be produced in many cities and used in hospitals. It will save jobs, time and lives during these difficult times. We are ready to supply this device to the Covid hospitals instantly whenever we are asked to", he said. Rajat Kumar Panigrahi mentions the five innovators involved in his project. "The five innovators are students Anil Mishra, Diuti Krishan, Sachidananda Acharya, Narayan Dash and Mahaveer Seth. The students are in the process of inventing more such devices.", he said proudly.

The Man Who Leads: 

Prior to this, the ITI-Berhampur laboratory, under the leadership of Rajat Kumar has successfully obtained parents for four of the products viz. Smart CoViD Security System, UVC Robo Warrior, Mobile Swab Collection Kiosk and Smart UVC Sole Disinfection System and joined the club of IITs and NITs that have been dominating the research area in the country for many years now. Union Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Mahendra Nath Pandey, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik have showered their praises on the work of ITI Berhampur while Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about the UVC Shoe Sole Sanitiser in his Maan Ki Baat. Give credits to Prof.Rajat Kumar Panigrahi for, recently, the institute was awarded a gold medal at the 72nd SKOCH summit for developing innovative products to fight Covid-19. It was then that Panigrahi dedicated this award to all the Covid warriors. 

Innovations for the benefit of the community especially during tough covid times are suitably rewarded.