Covid19 is now at a global pandemic level affecting human life leading to a critical situation. Doctors and health service staff are doing their best to fight against it. In Sri Lanka, the medical staff has successfully overcome the situation to a great extent. Due to a lack of medical equipment and other safety devices, medical staff and patients are at tremendous risk.
As responsible citizens, the Engineers from the Faculty of Engineering, University of Ruhuna, have stepped forward to support the situation by developing an Automated Guided Vehicle and a newly developed Ventilator to treat corona-affected patients while the AGV has already been established in Homagama Hospital. This project was led by a graduate from the Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Ruhuna Eng. Dayan Harsha Marabedda who is the current Head of Automation at Atlas Axillia.The team consists of Engineers Amila Eranda, Nishantha Kumara, Janaka Lasantha, Nuwan Basnayake and Shalika Amaratunge who were the graduates from Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Ruhuna. The pilot project of this AGV concept for Atlas axillia was developed by two former students Deshitha Kaviranga and Lahiru Rajapaksa for their undergraduate project under the guidance of the academic staff of the faculty. The initial implementation was at Atlas Axillia Company in automating their transportation system and later was developed further for the treatments of patients allowing the social distancing and the team is already developing the next AGV as requested by the government.
The newly developed Ventilator was presented to the Prime Minister, Mahinda Rajapaksa few days ago. The team consists of Senior lecturers Dr. Udayanga Galappathi, Mr. Varuna Priyanka and Mr. Tennis Ranjan, former graduates from university of Ruhuna together with the 3rd year undergraduate Upendra De Zoysa. They were able to develop this equipment within a very short time period and the results were successful. The equipment is capable of performing actions of an advanced ventilator. Government spends around five million rupees to import a Ventilator but the team has been able to complete the project with less cost with exceptional functionality. The Ventilator was designed and developed with the constant feedback of the anesthetic Doctors and therefore the usability for medical staff is very easy. The further developments are ongoing and soon they will be able to test the equipment with a human and then it can be used in Hospitals.
