IIT Madras startup develops portable hospital

Chennai: Modulus Housing, a startup incubated at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) has developed a portable hospital unit that can be installed anywhere within two hours by four people, said the IIT-M.

In a statement issued here on Thursday, IIT-M said the portable hospital called MediCAB is a decentralised approach to detect, screen, identify, isolate and treat Covid-19 patients in their local communities through these portable microstructures.

According to IIT-M, MediCAB has been recently deployed in the Wayanad district in Kerala to treat corna patients.

The startup is developing micro hospitals that can be deployed rapidly across the nation. The MediCAB is foldable and is composed of four zones - a doctor's room, an isolation room, a medical room/ward and a twin-bed ICU, maintained at negative pressure.

The startup collaborated with Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) who provided inputs on the certifications and customisations necessary for the project.

The company Modulus Housing founded by two IIT alumni in 2018, was supported by the IIT-M Incubation Cell and has a vision to revolutionise housing through modular prefab structures.

They have re-purposed their designs to support the fight against Covid-19.

"The outcome of this pilot project in Kerala will help in proving the applicability of the technology and advantages of micro hospitals, with MediCAB as an instant infrastructure solution. It can be easily assembled in eight hours by four people. When folded, our collapsible cabins are reduced five-fold, making it very cost-effective for transportation," Shreeram Ravichandran, Chief Executive Officer said.