Chennai, NFAPost: Indian Tech Startup Muse Nanobots has launched a nanotech coating for textiles that can inactivate the Coronavirus within five minutes of contact. As the economy begins to open up after months of lockdown, Muse nanocoated textiles can offer enhanced protection for common people to travel and will provide great safety to frontline healthcare, hospital, hotels and restaurant workers.
Muse Nanobots conducted a study with the US-based Situ Biosciences, an ISO 170205-accredited, independent product test laboratory in Chicago, which specialises in providing microbial product testing.
The study, conducted to understand the effectiveness of Muse Nanobots antiviral coating on coronavirus 229E, showed that it inactivated 99.99% of the coronavirus 229E within five minutes of contact time. The study was conducted in accordance with ISO 18184, the international standards for determining antiviral activity of textile products.
Muse Nanobots, a subsidiary of the IIT Madras-incubated Muse Wearables startup, which sells payment-enabled hybrid smartwatches in 70 countries, has filed two patents. It is already in touch with around 40 Indian companies including Government Research Organisations. It is also in advanced stages of negotiations with a few companies to install the nanocoating machines at their production facilities.
Muse Nanobots Co-founder Sai Prasanth said, “We are one of the first Indian technology companies to prove, via clinical testing and validation, the coating efficacy of our product on the Coronavirus. Muse Nanobots coating has also displayed a strong anti-bacterial activity on human pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus, among others. The coating makes the textile surface self-sanitizing and provides a germ resistant surface. ”
He added, “This shows that Muse Nanocoat on textiles can become an added layer of protection in the fight against this pandemic. Muse Nanobots coating can be applied on any kind of fabric and can be coated on masks, PPE kits, clothes and packaging material. The test also has shown that it is non-toxic to human cells and is comfortable to use.”
“Our nanocoating offers substantially enhanced protection and is clinically proven to eliminate as much as 99.99 per cent of Coronavirus. However, there are other ways in which COVID-19 can spread, such as while shaking hands with others or through droplets/coughs and hence, users should adhere to social distancing and follow the guidelines to protect themselves against COVID-19,” Sai Prasanth added.
The startup is targeting the installation of its nanocoating machines in around 15 Indian Textile Companies that make regular office and casual attires, sportswear, PPEs, decor industry (curtains, bedsheets) and packaging material makers by end of 2020.
Elaborating on how the startup is taking this nanocoating technology to the country at large, Muse Nanobots CEO Gautam Reddy said, “Muse Nanobots’ nanocoating machine can coat fabrics at an industrial production scale and can be integrated into the existing textile production facilities. No changes in the textile fabrics observed after the coating process which makes this relevant for various textile applications such as office wear, school uniforms, medical wear, sportswear and wearables, among others. The coating lasts up to 60 washes when washed under 70 degrees Celsius. The coated chemicals do not show any leaching of chemicals.”
He added, “With respect to the cost, Muse Nanobots ensures optimal coating concentrations making us commercially viable compared to our international competitors. In the words of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat,’ we are a ‘Make in India’ product and we have all the supply chains from India. We are also happy to announce that we have attracted top talent to our R&D team and have started working on developing nanotech solutions for water filters, air cleaners and oxygen concentrators.”
Apart from direct installations at partner locations, Muse Nanobots also has a coating facility based in Bengaluru where textile companies can send their fabrics to be treated with the antiviral coating. The startup plans to establish three more coating facilities at different cities to cater to the textile coating demand and faster turnaround time by the end of September 2020. Muse Nanobots face masks will be available in the market by the first week of September 2020 on e-commerce platforms and Muse Nanobots website.
Muse Nanobots is a new subsidiary of Conzmex Industries Ltd, which operates the brand ‘Muse Wearables.’ It is in the process of raising funds to scale the solution fast into the domestic market and focus on taking the required international approvals to target the international textile market.
It launched the world’s first payments hybrid smartwatch along with its Muse Health and Muse Pay platforms in 2018 and entered the market by the end of 2019. It is slowly gaining momentum as a new technology brand in India, and is focusing to build a strong consumer brand in the next 1-2 years.
