Classes on hold, learning continues as engineering colleges fight Covid

At the height of the Covid crisis in Italy, an engineering startup saved many lives by 3D-printing respirator valves. The situation never got so dire in this coastal belt of Karnataka but still, the students and faculty of engineering colleges here have fought Covid with their ingenuity over the past four months. From simple face shields to ventilator splitters and contactless thermometers, they have been making and distributing much-needed equipment at a low cost.

NIT-K, Surathkal deployed its 3D printers to fight the coronavirus. “We turned to 3D printing,” says Gangadharan K V, coordinator at the institute’s Centre for System Design. “We have already made 5,000 face shields and are making another 10,000.” While ONGC sponsored 10,000 face shields, NIT-K has made intubation tubes and 3D face masks on its own. A campus startup called A