I-Corps: Smart window that helps to ensure a healthy indoor air quality

I-Corps项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发了一种技术，以对抗室内空气污染，将其作为过早死亡的风险因素之一。根据健康指标和评估研究所和世界卫生组织的数据，糟糕的室内空气质量每年导致160-430万人死亡。根据美国环保署的数据，美国人平均90%的时间是在室内度过的，一些污染物的浓度往往比室外高2-5倍。打开窗户和增加换气率可以显著改善室内空气质量(IAQ)，还可以降低接触COVID的风险。在目前的市场上，没有可以自动打开/关闭和/或将空气抽进或抽出房间以改善室内空气质量的窗户。这项拟议的技术是一种自动化解决方案，可以将新鲜空气引入室内，以改善室内空气质量。该技术还可能与其他智能家居系统合作，共享和存储IAQ数据，用于科学研究、模式识别和预测，可能会引发新的发现。这个i-Corps项目是基于一种可以提供改善室内空气质量的技术的开发。该技术可以自动检测糟糕的室内空气质量，并可以发起空气交换，以降低污染水平。该设备便携、即插即用、易于安装(不需要对现有窗口进行任何修改)、低能耗(由太阳能/手机充电器运行)，并由灵活的响应性聚合物执行器制成，可将空气抽进/抽出。窗户有不同的大小和形状，以适应传统的空间，也可以为特定目的定制。该窗户被编程为自动响应温度、湿度、氧气、一氧化碳、二氧化碳和其他气体的变化，并可与流行的家庭自动化系统和平台集成。这项技术可能有助于使用自动室内-室外空气交换来确保健康的室内空气质量。该奖项反映了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 technology to combat indoor air pollution as one of the risk factors for premature death. According to Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation and the World Heath Organization, poor indoor air quality is responsible for 1.6-4.3 million deaths yearly. According to the EPA, Americans, on average, spend 90% of their time indoors, where the concentrations of some pollutants are often 2 -5 times higher than outdoors. Opening windows and increasing air exchange rates can significantly improve Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and can also reduce the risk of COVID exposure. In the current market, window that can automatically open/close and/or pump air into or out of a room to improve the IAQ are not available. The proposed technology is an automated solution that can bring fresh air inside in to improve IAQ. The technology may also work with other smart home systems to share and store IAQ data for scientific research, pattern recognition, and forecasting, potentially triggering new discoveries. This I-Corps project is based on the development of a technology that can provide improved indoor air quality. The technology can automatically detect poor indoor air quality and can initiate an air exchange to lower pollution levels. The device is portable, plug and play, easy to install (does not require any modifications of existing windows), low energy (run by solar power/phone charger), and made from flexible responsive polymer actuators that pumps air in/out. The window is available in different sizes and shapes to fit conventional spaces and can also be custom made for specific purposes. The window is programmed to automatically respond to changes in temperature, humidity, oxygen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and other gases, and can be integrated with popular home automation systems and platforms. The technology may help to ensure healthy indoor air quality using an automatic indoor-outdoor air exchange.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.