For more than a year now, covid has been a driving force behind development of innovative tech for the healthcare sector. From beathalysers and wearables that monitor infections, to robots which can sanitize public spaces, the Middle East has adopted gadgets which can bolster the success of regional tech hubs against the pandemic.

The period that saw people lose work due to economic uncertainty, also led to a surge in availability of online knowhow to learn new skills and come up with solutions. Among inventions which are aimed at making life easier in the new normal, a UAE-based Indian expat's air purifier seems like an instrumental device to protect medical staff as well as patients.

An electronics shop owner in the country, PK Mohankumar was convinced that recovery of covid hit patients was being slowed down due to contaminated air. He followed research done by Japanese scientists to design his own solution for the issue, and used components like PVC as well as copper pipes, paired with a cylinder, a UV chamber and even face masks.

Air which enters the machine is first sanitized using an antiseptic liquid, following which a 60 watt double blower dries it. Further in the four-stage process, bacteria is once again targeted with ultraviolet rays, and finally air passes through a mask at the other end.

The wastewater is drained and the cleansing liquid is refilled after the process, which according to Mohankumar is the reason for him being contagion free so far. He hopes that the virus-proofing gadget will gain the attention of government agencies, which can develop it further by funding research and development.

But in the mean time, other measures including a disinfection cart are safeguarding people against infections in the UAE. The machine introduced at the Fairmont Fujairah resort, comes with motion sensors and an LCD screen, paired with six powerful UV lights to clean up surfaces in a seven meter radius.