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49,620
2021-05-01 to 2021-07-31
Small Business Research Initiative
AirBaby(TM) is an innovative, cost-effective product that provides infants with clean, safe air in their local environment. The device protects the most vulnerable members of society in the location where they spend most of their time -- indoors. Air pollution kills approximately 500,000 babies per year globally. Inflammation caused by pollutants irritates the linings of small, developing airways. This can inhibit lung growth and lead to respiratory infection, with effects that can continue into adulthood. Indoor pollutants include particulate matter (PM) -- tiny fragments of solids and liquids suspended in air -- and noxious gases, including nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulphur dioxide (SO2). Infant deaths increase by 4%, 7% and 19% with high levels of PM, NO2, and SO2, respectively. Pollutants originate in the home from processes such as heating, cooking, and smoking; or enter dwellings from the outdoors. AirBaby incorporates an air processing unit (APU) that contains an advanced filter composed of two elements: a high-grade HEPA filter for removing particulates; and an active carbon filter that neutralizes NO2 and SO2 from the air. AirBaby will therefore remove the most known harmful pollutants from a baby's locality, while providing protection against airborne viruses, including Covid-19 and common flu. AirBaby will be designed to be intuitive, cost-effective and easy to use. An intuitive phone app will allow remote control of AirBaby, provide alerts and collect data on local air quality. If the user permits, this data will allow unique local, national and international maps of air quality, to be built. The project will also include a human-centric design work package to ensure the features and attributes of the proposed product are fully aligned with the target market. The aim is to make AirBaby intuitive, affordable and environmentally friendly, with the HEPA filter being washable and reusable. This project will build upon the work done previously by the team on a lower performance personal air purifier prototype, known as Air2 ("air squared"). The output of this project will form a credible and de-risking input to the proposed follow-on Phase 2: the development and real-world testing of AirBaby, ahead of commercial release.