A Class XII girl has grabbed eyeballs on social media after she said that she has invented a mask that can kill coronavirus. Reports said her mask will be exhibited in Google’s Museum of Design Excellence in Mumbai.
She is Digantika Bose from Bengal’s Purba Bardhaman district has said.
The mask has three chambers. There is a negative ion generator that filters the dust particles in the air. When the filtered air enters through the second chamber, it reaches the third one which is a chemical chamber containing a mixture of soap and water — which she said could kill the virus.
“We know that soap water kills the virus, so when the air reaches the third chamber, the chemical solution has the potential to kill the virus,” Digantika said.
Similarly, if a Covid-infected person uses the mask, the air they exhale will go through a similar process and the spread of the virus could potentially be stopped. The girl has approached the state health department for trials on the mask and it could be a potential barrier against the spread of Covid-19.
The Class 12 student said she made the mask during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. She said, “I made the mask during the first lockdown with whatever resources I had. I have always been interested in such things.”
Digantika has always had a penchant for such innovations and previously had made a pair of glasses for locals in the Sunderbans which enabled people to look behind without turning their heads. This helped locals from wild animals in the forest that could prey on them from behind.
She has been thrice awarded the APJ Abdul Kalam Ignite Award. The third time she was awarded for innovating a comfortable mask that does not strain the ears.
