DRDO's COVID sample collection kiosk eliminates need for PPE, manual disinfection

The Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed a COVid SAmple Collection Kiosk (COVSACK) to enable health care workers to collect samples for testing from persons suspected to have been infected, without coming into direct contact with them.

Covsack does away with the need for health workers to wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) while collecting oral samples of people coming in for Covid testing.

The Kiosk is designed for automatic disinfection, once again eliminating the need for human personnel from coming in contact with a possibly contaminated environment. Sprayers with disinfectant solution, water and UV lights are used to sanitise the booth.

How it works

A person who arrives for testing enters the kiosk from where their oral oral swabs are collected by healthcare workers outside the chamber. A screen protects the healthcare worker from droplets that might be emitted by the breath, cough or sneeze of a potential carrier of the contagion.

The auto-disinfection sprayers mounted in the kiosk spray 1% sodium hypochlorite solution for a period of 1 minute to sanitise the walls, gloves and insides of the chamber, after the person being tested exits. The automated system then flushes the cabin with water from the inbuilt sprayers after which it disperses UV light to complete the disinfection process.

After this, the next person is allowed in for sample collection.