Building on research for sensors to detect bacteria and viruses in the air, a team from Empa, ETH Zurich and Zurich University Hospital developed a biosensor to detect the new coronavirus (COVID-19). The sensor could be used measure the virus concentration in the air in real time in crowded locations such as train stations or […]
How can you ensure proper air quality levels in buildings?
In the building management industry, landlords and building managers are charged with the safety and comfort of the tenants within their apartment complexes or office space. Safety includes ensuring that proper air quality levels are maintained. One of the ways to do this is by preventing a silent offender of public safety issues, carbon dioxide […]
How can we sense the coronavirus?
Researchers at Northwestern University and Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago asked themselves that question. Their answer is a wearable wireless sensor similar to a Band-Aid strip. The device mounts to the throat and detects breathing and coughing and a set of algorithms provide the analysis. Similar to sensors designed to monitor speech and swallowing in […]
How can a carmaker provide more ventilators and/or respirators?
Ventilators and respirators become a critical but limited supply item when a pandemic such as the coronavirus (COVID-19) occurs. Since air pressure and air flow are involved in both, pressure sensors are an integral part of many products. As different aspects of society pull together or respond to the implementation of the Defense Production Act, […]
How can the world solve the global ventilator shortage problem? Pt 5
Ventilator shortages in the US could be on the order of 300,00 to 700, 000 units or more but the estimated supply of existing ventilators in world-wide hospitals was less than 200,000 before the COVID-19 outbreak. A more recent indication is that the US has about 200,000 but still just a fraction of what is […]
How can the world solve the global ventilator shortage problem? Pt 4
Initiated in March 2020, a group of engineers in Spain led by the Barcelona based company Protofy.xyz, developed OxyGEN, an open hardware ventilator design to address the COVID-19 shortage. Working with two hospitals in Barcelona, the design is in its fifth iteration to provide an efficient and safe device. The automated AMBU ventilator design prototype […]
How can the world solve the global ventilator shortage problem? Pt 3
Continued from the university efforts in Pt2, another example of a university-designed automated AMBU bag-based ventilator was demonstrated by Rice University. Working with Metric Technologies, a Canadian global health design firm, Rice University developed an automated AMBU-based ventilation unit that can be built for less than $300 worth of parts and was based on a […]
How can the world solve the global ventilator shortage problem? Pt 2
To meet the current demand for ventilators, many universities have risen to the challenge to create easily-constructed, low-cost ventilators from readily available parts. While the traditional ventilator with all the bells and whistles could cost from $30,00 to $40, 000 or more, university teams have been able to demonstrate working prototypes – often with less […]
How can the world solve the global ventilator shortage problem? Pt 1
Hospital ventilators are complex pieces of machinery that can use several sensors to control airflow and pressure. Existing suppliers’ monthly production is typically in the 10,000 or so range. New production capacity will take months. As hospital and local governments have pleaded to get more ventilators during the coronavirus pandemic, several organizations have responded quickly, […]
How does heterogeneous integration impact sensors?
For those not familiar with the term, heterogeneous integration (HI) occurs when diverse components are assembled into System-in-Package (SiP) architectures. Late in 2019, SEMI, the global industry association representing the electronics design and manufacturing supply chain, announced the 2019 release of the Heterogeneous Integration Roadmap (HIR). Prominent examples of the roadmap are wireless and mixed […]
