IIT Kharagpur develops COVIRAP machine which costs only Rs 500 per COVID-19 test

Making a major contribution in the battle against COVID-19, IIT Kharagpur researchers have developed a ‘COVIRAP’ diagnostic machine. On Wednesday, it was successfully validated for its efficacy in COVID-19 detection by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Various commercial units have already approached the Institute for technology licensing to enable a rapid reach of this innovation to the common people. 

This machine can be developed at a cost of less than Rs 10,000 with minimal infrastructural requirement making the technology affordable to common people. Moreover, it only costs Rs 500 per COVID-19 test. The test results are rendered via a custom-made mobile application for dissemination without requiring manual interpretation. 

Lauding IIT Kharagpur Researchers, Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Minister of Education, Government of India, said, “I am glad the researchers from IIT Kharagpur have achieved the goal of Atmanirbhar Bharat through this medical technology innovation. This would go on impacting the lives of many in rural India as the device is portable and can be operated on a very low energy supply. Minimally trained rural youth can operate this device.” 

“This innovation has made high-quality and accurate COVID testing affordable for the common people with a testing cost of around Rs 500/- which can further be reduced through government intervention. As informed by IIT Kharagpur, this machine can be developed at a cost of less than Rs 10,000/- with minimal infrastructural requirement making the technology affordable to common people. The testing process in this new machine is completed within one hour. I congratulate Prof. V.K. Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur, and the research team led by Prof. Suman Chakraborty and Dr. Arindam Mondal for this path-breaking innovation taking molecular diagnostics from high-end labs to the field,” he added. 

Speaking about the commercialization of ‘COVIRAP,’ Prof VK Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur said, “While the Institute can produce the testing kit up to a certain scale, patent licensing will facilitate commercialization opportunities for medical technology companies. Any corporate or start-up can approach the Institute for technology licensing and commercial scale of production. The Institute is open to tie-ups, with due measures of protecting the interest of public health amidst the pandemic situation.”