I-Corps: Aerial Virus Detectors

这个i-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发一种便携式系统，可以检测空气中的病毒颗粒，如新冠肺炎。目前可用的空气传播病毒检测技术是以顺序方式运行的，首先从空气样本中收集颗粒，然后将样本送到密集且昂贵的液体试剂(逆转录聚合酶链式反应(RT-PCR))检测中进行处理。潜在客户档案包括关注他们及其家人呼吸的空气的个人。这项技术还可以服务于医院、公共交通(例如出租车、班机、铁路)、学校、酒店、企业、房主协会和政府机构中关心其选民健康的组织。该解决方案能够及时识别感染源，并通过隔离受污染区域进行快速局部卫生来最大限度地减少传播，这有助于防止昂贵且激进的过度卫生和个人防护设备和资源的迅速耗尽。i-Corps项目基于可以在小空间检测空气中传播的新冠肺炎和其他病毒颗粒的技术。拟议的设备寻求直接为房间的居住者提供指导，使他们能够做出有关安全的明智决定。空气中病毒颗粒的检测对于实现有关空间安全使用的智能决策至关重要。这项技术将柯萨奇病毒反应性表面与高灵敏度检测技术相结合。在病毒颗粒存在的情况下，病毒表面的尖峰蛋白与主动传感器连接，导致设备的电阻率发生变化，从而触发设备屏幕上的消息和警报。为了实现与传感器元件的空中相互作用，设计并开发了一种气动外壳。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of a portable system that can detect airborne virus particles such as COVID-19. The currently available airborne viral detection technique operates in a sequential manner by first collecting particles from air samples and then sending the sample for processing with an intensive and expensive liquid-reagent (reverse transcription polymerace chain reaction (RT-PCR)) testing. The potential customer profile encompasses individuals concerned with the air that they and their family members are breathing. This technology may also serve organizations concerned with their constituents’ health in hospitals, public transportation (e.g., taxis, airliners, railways), schools, hotels, businesses, homeowner associations, and government agencies. The solution enables a timely identification of an infectious agent and minimizes the spread by isolating contaminated areas for swift localized sanitation, which helps prevent costly and aggressive over-sanitation and rapid depletion of personal protective equipment and resources.This I-Corps project is based on the development of technology that can detect airborne COVID-19 and other viral particles in a small space. The proposed device seeks to directly provide guidance to the occupants of the room, enabling them to make informed decisions about safety. The detection of viral particles in air is critical to enabling intelligent decision-making about safe usage of the space. This technology integrates a COVID-reactive surface with a highly sensitive detection technology. In the presence of a virus particle, the spike protein on the surface of the virus interfaces with the active sensor, leading to a change in the resistivity of the device, which triggers a message on the device-screen and an alarm. To enable aerial interaction with the sensor element, an aerodynamic casing has been designed and developed. The flow profiles have been modeled using computational fluid dynamics.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.