This innovation by IIT-D researchers is what every Indian needs as deadly pollution levels go further up

Delhi is the most polluted city on earth, as per WHO. At a worrying time like this, a research team at IIT Delhi is trying to come to the rescue of Indians who are largely ignorant of the poison they are breathing everyday.

The team has developed a unique product called 'Nosacle' - a nasal aid that can actually filter pollutants in the air and will only allow clean air to flow. This device has two nozzles and it is very similar to those used for sleep apnea. It is tiny in size and reusable as opposed to masks that are large and bulky. It has a cartridge which can be disposed of after filtration. These cartridges should be changed every eight hours for better performance and efficiency. The device can keep 90% of the pollutants away from the nasal chamber.

Debayan Saha, one of the researchers, recently told Times Of India, "Face masks have membranes with smaller pores that can attract bigger particles. But the small pores pose greater resistance for breathing and carbon dioxide retention. In our device, we do not have a membrane. This makes it comfortable for the user to wear it most of the time."

The idea of the nasal aid was born when the team led by Debayan and Shashi Ranjan were pursuing Stanford-India Biodesign fellowship. This idea was then further developed into the fully realised product under the Pfizer IIT-Delhi Innovation and IP Programme. Nosacle is expected to hit the market by the end of 2017.