As the clamour for protective gears to fight the novel coronavirus grows among healthcare workers in the state, a group of researchers of a premier institute has come up with a prototype of a face shield for those attending to COVID-19 patients.

Santanu Dhara and Sangeeta Das Bhattacharya, researchers at the School of Medical Science and Technology, IIT Kharagpur, have designed the face shield with transparency sheet, sponge, folded paper, cardboard, rubber band and double-sided tape all of which is usually available at homes or local shops, a statement issued by the institute said.

A team from IIT-Kharagpur, under the guidance of Dhara and Das, has produced 14 such face shield prototypes in two hours and are in the process of making many more, working from their homes.

'At a time when the demand for protective gears has escalated, we wanted to make improvisations using easily sourced materials and come to the aid of our heath workers,' Dhara said.

Face shield is a transparent plastic protective cover, attached to an elastic head gear.

The institute, in its statement, however, emphasised that the Items are only prototypes for now, and that every medical product and equipment requires a series of testing and subsequent certification by appropriate authorities before use.