A smart mask for active defense against airborne pathogens

Abstract Face masks are a primary preventive measure against airborne pathogens. Thus, they have become one of the keys to controlling the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Common examples, including N95 masks, surgical masks, and face coverings, are passive devices that minimize the spread of suspended...

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Autores principales:	Rohan Reddy Kalavakonda, Naren Vikram Raj Masna, Soumyajit Mandal, Swarup Bhunia
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Nature Portfolio 2021
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/587799253caa41f3a8427bcf72e25069
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:587799253caa41f3a8427bcf72e250692021-12-02T18:37:08ZA smart mask for active defense against airborne pathogens10.1038/s41598-021-99150-x2045-2322https://doaj.org/article/587799253caa41f3a8427bcf72e250692021-10-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-99150-xhttps://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Abstract Face masks are a primary preventive measure against airborne pathogens. Thus, they have become one of the keys to controlling the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Common examples, including N95 masks, surgical masks, and face coverings, are passive devices that minimize the spread of suspended pathogens by inserting an aerosol-filtering barrier between the user’s nasal and oral cavities and the environment. However, the filtering process does not adapt to changing pathogen levels or other environmental factors, which reduces its effectiveness in real-world scenarios. This paper addresses the limitations of passive masks by proposing ADAPT, a smart IoT-enabled “active mask”. This wearable device contains a real-time closed-loop control system that senses airborne particles of different sizes near the mask by using an on-board particulate matter (PM) sensor. It then intelligently mitigates the threat by using mist spray, generated by a piezoelectric actuator, to load nearby aerosol particles such that they rapidly fall to the ground. The system is controlled by an on-board micro-controller unit that collects sensor data, analyzes it, and activates the mist generator as necessary. A custom smartphone application enables the user to remotely control the device and also receive real-time alerts related to recharging, refilling, and/or decontamination of the mask before reuse. Experimental results on a working prototype confirm that aerosol clouds rapidly fall to the ground when the mask is activated, thus significantly reducing PM counts near the user. Also, usage of the mask significantly increases local relative humidity levels.Rohan Reddy KalavakondaNaren Vikram Raj MasnaSoumyajit MandalSwarup BhuniaNature PortfolioarticleMedicineRScienceQENScientific Reports, Vol 11, Iss 1, Pp 1-9 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Rohan Reddy Kalavakonda Naren Vikram Raj Masna Soumyajit Mandal Swarup Bhunia A smart mask for active defense against airborne pathogens
description	Abstract Face masks are a primary preventive measure against airborne pathogens. Thus, they have become one of the keys to controlling the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Common examples, including N95 masks, surgical masks, and face coverings, are passive devices that minimize the spread of suspended pathogens by inserting an aerosol-filtering barrier between the user’s nasal and oral cavities and the environment. However, the filtering process does not adapt to changing pathogen levels or other environmental factors, which reduces its effectiveness in real-world scenarios. This paper addresses the limitations of passive masks by proposing ADAPT, a smart IoT-enabled “active mask”. This wearable device contains a real-time closed-loop control system that senses airborne particles of different sizes near the mask by using an on-board particulate matter (PM) sensor. It then intelligently mitigates the threat by using mist spray, generated by a piezoelectric actuator, to load nearby aerosol particles such that they rapidly fall to the ground. The system is controlled by an on-board micro-controller unit that collects sensor data, analyzes it, and activates the mist generator as necessary. A custom smartphone application enables the user to remotely control the device and also receive real-time alerts related to recharging, refilling, and/or decontamination of the mask before reuse. Experimental results on a working prototype confirm that aerosol clouds rapidly fall to the ground when the mask is activated, thus significantly reducing PM counts near the user. Also, usage of the mask significantly increases local relative humidity levels.
format	article
author	Rohan Reddy Kalavakonda Naren Vikram Raj Masna Soumyajit Mandal Swarup Bhunia
author_facet	Rohan Reddy Kalavakonda Naren Vikram Raj Masna Soumyajit Mandal Swarup Bhunia
author_sort	Rohan Reddy Kalavakonda
title	A smart mask for active defense against airborne pathogens
title_short	A smart mask for active defense against airborne pathogens
title_full	A smart mask for active defense against airborne pathogens
title_fullStr	A smart mask for active defense against airborne pathogens
title_full_unstemmed	A smart mask for active defense against airborne pathogens
title_sort	smart mask for active defense against airborne pathogens
publisher	Nature Portfolio
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/587799253caa41f3a8427bcf72e25069
work_keys_str_mv	AT rohanreddykalavakonda asmartmaskforactivedefenseagainstairbornepathogens AT narenvikramrajmasna asmartmaskforactivedefenseagainstairbornepathogens AT soumyajitmandal asmartmaskforactivedefenseagainstairbornepathogens AT swarupbhunia asmartmaskforactivedefenseagainstairbornepathogens AT rohanreddykalavakonda smartmaskforactivedefenseagainstairbornepathogens AT narenvikramrajmasna smartmaskforactivedefenseagainstairbornepathogens AT soumyajitmandal smartmaskforactivedefenseagainstairbornepathogens AT swarupbhunia smartmaskforactivedefenseagainstairbornepathogens
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A smart mask for active defense against airborne pathogens

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