Airborne transmission of respiratory pathogens such as COVID and Influenza is a major concern, especially within confined indoor environments with multiple occupants: shared work offices, call centers, classrooms, theaters, etc. There is a high risk of cross-infection in these enclosed environments, driven by the smaller respiratory particles (including aerosols of COVID, Influenza, etc.) that can survive for hours suspended in the air, and travel deep into the lower respiratory tract. Even the most modern HVAC systems and air purifiers, regardless of how they clean the air (HEPA filters, UVC, bipolar ionization, etc.), drag airborne pathogens across the room to an air return, potentially infecting others.
Air-Clenz™ (http://www.Air-Clenz.com) is the first and only exhaled air capture and purification system in the world. Air-Clenz™ can quickly capture and clean exhaled air within 1 inch to 3 feet of one’s face. It has been patented, developed, prototyped and proven. Air-Clenz™ can be integrated or attached to desktop computer monitors or laptops. In five seconds or less, it captures exhaled air close to the user’s face, before the exhaled air disperses in the room environment and possibly infects others. Captured exhaled air, as well as surrounding room air, is then cleaned by the air purification chamber to a 99.97% level, free of COVID and other airborne pathogens. Clean air is then released back into the room. This is all accomplished for each exhaled air breath within five to ten seconds. Independent third-party Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling proves that nearly 100% of user-exhaled aerosols and droplets are captured and cleaned by Air-Clenz™-enabled computer monitors and laptops.
Air-Clenz™ is the most cost-effective and viable solution, not only for the current COVID-19 pandemic, but also for minimizing any (present and future) airborne-transmitted diseases and cross-infections in indoor venues. Air-Clenz™ also increases clean room air turns per hour and improves overall indoor air quality, which results in better cognitive function, performance, productivity, and happiness of occupants.
Air-Clenz™ is very quiet and uses off the shelf components (electronics, fans, HEPA and other filters, etc.) which easily turn any computer monitor or laptop into a powerful exhaled air-purifying device. There is no other technology known that does what Air-Clenz™ does.
Supporting information:
Visual illustration 1: Air-Clenz™ prototype attached to a computer monitor
Visual illustration 2: CFD vector analysis of Air-Clenz™ attached to a computer monitor
Visual illustration 3: CFD vector analysis of Air-Clenz™ attached to a laptop
Video: Cough particles (aerosols, droplets) exhaled from a user with conventional monitor and with Air-Clenz™-equipped monitor
Video
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Awards
- 2022 Consumer Product Design Honorable Mention
- 2022 Top 100 Entries
Voting
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ABOUT THE ENTRANT
- Name:Anita T. Broach
- Type of entry:teamTeam members:Ronald Blum, OD
Anita T. Broach, PhD
Stuart Sheldon
Russell French
Jack Loeb - Profession:
- Anita is inspired by:The Air-Clenz™ team has a proven track record of providing innovative solutions to global challenges and most pressing health issues. Solving the current COVID-19 pandemic with affordable solutions was an inspiration for this particular innovation.
- Software used for this entry:Siemens multi-physics software Star-CCM+
- Patent status:patented