Ncyt participating in a project20 Feb 2024 16:03
Https://www.teknologisk.dk/ydelser/sensorer-skal-advare-om-luftbaaren-smittespredning-i-boernehaver/45769
https://twitter.com/Larry64450205/status/1759971031421227047?t=5IK0WNqfKqBz4B6Y_wRxSw&s=19
Sensors must warn of the spread of airborne infection in kindergartens
Press release published on 20 February 2024.
With air purification and intelligent monitoring of the indoor climate, a new pilot project will investigate whether it is possible to reduce outbreaks of influenza and other seasonal respiratory diseases in day care institutions.
A new pilot project with the participation of the Technological Institute, IoT Fabrikken, Xsystems and Novacyt will, with support from CLEAN - Danmarks Miljøklynge and Danish Life Science Cluster, investigate how the amount of viruses in the air can be measured and reduced in day care institutions. The project will pave the way for more investigations into the connections between indoor climate and the spread of infection, as well as for the development of technology that can fight viruses in the air.
Peak season for airborne infection
Since December, it has been peak season for respiratory infections such as colds, flu and cold pneumonia. The virus particles that cause respiratory diseases are often airborne and are therefore spread through microscopic droplets in the air around us. Good ventilation and venting can play a role in reducing the spread of virus particles, and therefore a pilot project will investigate whether and how to detect the droplet particles and reduce their quantity in a smart way.
- Detecting viruses from the air is not easy. There are many factors that must be taken into account when collecting it in reality, and the aim of the project is, among other things, to learn more about what can be done with the equipment we have available, says Freja Rydahl Rasmussen , consultant at the Danish Technological Institute, who leads the pilot project.
Pilot test in two daycare centers
Until the summer of 2024, the Technological Institute together with the sensor company IoT Fabrikken, the virus detection company Novacyt and the air purifier company Xsystems will run trials at two daycare centers in Aarhus Municipality, where the goal is to find reliable methods to collect and measure the concentration and type of viruses in the air. At the same time, small mobile and wireless measuring devices, so-called low-cost sensors, are being installed in day care institutions. The sensors can measure, for example, temperature, humidity and CO 2 level in the indoor climate.
- By linking data from the virus samples that are collected with the sensors' measurements, we hope to see some indications of correlations. It can be between humidity and CO 2 level on the one hand and the concentration of viruses in the air on the other. If there are indications of correlations, sensors can potentially be used for warning or for automatic climate control at a daycare center, says Lars Qvistga
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