Tech startup Muse Nanobots, a subsidiary of the IIT Madras-incubated Muse Wearables, 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 U.S.-based Situ Biosciences, an ISO 170205-accredited, independent product test laboratory in Chicago, which specializes in providing microbial product testing.

The study, conducted to understand the effectiveness of Muse Nanobots antiviral coating on coronavirus, showed that it inactivated 99.99 per cent of the coronavirus 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. 

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.