The project tackles directly the problem that the use of public transport presents to its users, regarding the increased probability of transmission of illnesses like chickenpox, pneumonia, tuberculosis, bronchitis, pharyngitis, colds, influenza (Infosalus, 2020) and COVID-19, that the buses confer to them while they remain in a crowded and closed space, such as the bus. Given that, in normal conditions, nothing would prevent microparticles coming from the cough or sneeze of a sick individual to get to one or more passengers, by incorporating continuous air sanitization systems in buses along with automatized devices that will both trigger the sterilization of the bus surfaces when empty, and create sanitary awareness among passengers, the transmission of pathogenic microorganisms can be prevented.
Our team chose to participate in this challenge because of two reasons: we are all passionate about creating solutions related to the availability of clean air to everyone in the world, and it was interesting to all of us to learn how we could use space applications to solve this problem.
We decided to solve the problem regarding the accessibility to clean and safe air for public transport users throughout Latin America and all around the world, because the use of such means of transport pose a great danger to its users, especially in times of pandemics such as the present one, which urged us to create a solution for that problem. In order to do this, we followed several steps. Firstly, we performed research on how the International Space Station deals with the task of maintaining an appropriate air quality for its astronauts. We found that the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) removes CO2, recovers and recycles oxygen from CO2 and filters microorganisms from cabin air, guaranteeing in this way appropriate air quality for astronauts (NASA, 2020). We’d take this as an inspiration for our air sanitizing system later on. On the other hand, after getting to know about the protocols that astronauts have to undertake before exiting Earth, in order to assure that they aren’t sick, we decided to look into Earth (not into space) and try to identify problems in air quality that could relate to COVID-19. Secondly, we researched about those problems and found that, while only 380 ppm of CO2 can be found in the exterior of buses of the public transport system, in the interior of buses 1500 ppm of this gas can be detected (Del-Campo-Díaz and Torta-de-la-Concepción, 2011). This information helped us to decide to focus on public transport. Thirdly, we organized virtual meetings through the Zoom® platform, sent emails between ourselves, and created both a WhatsApp group for the team and a Drive team unit, which allowed us to discuss what could be done to tackle the problem of air quality in buses during the COVID-19 pandemic, while also sharing between ourselves relevant documents related to the subject. Finally, we decided to approach this challenge in three ways: a) by designing an air sanitization system to reduce virus transmission throughout public transport users, b) by providing buses with an automatized device that will use Artificial Intelligence to possess face-recognition and coughing-detection capabilities that will alert the passengers with a buzzing sound when a coughing individual is detected among them, (which will, as an additional application, it will remind the passengers of the sanitary protocols for the COVID-19 pandemic just after the buzzer alert), and c) by incorporating a superficial sterilization system connected to the automatized device that will eliminate the superficial viral particles along the bus when there’re no passengers present in the unit. With this approach, we not only avoid the transmission of COVID-19 and other pathogenic microorganisms, but we also help the users of public transport to have a stronger awareness regarding the possibility of contagion during the pandemic. In this manner, we make public transport safer to everyone.
We used the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS), (NASA, 2020), as an inspiration for our air sanitizing system, as both focus in reducing CO2 levels, while reducing microorganism numbers in reused air to guarantee appropriate air quality for the users of the respective means of transport.
We used computers and Raspberry Pi as hardware. The Python programming language was very useful for the development of the artificial intelligence program that the automatized device will need in order to have the required face-recognition and coughing-detection capabilities.
Our main problem during the challenge was time, because we had to do a lot of tasks in only 48 hours. Nevertheless, thanks to the interdisciplinarity, as well as the communicative and proactive nature of the team as a whole, we were able to distribute all the tasks of the project according to the background and skills of every member, so that we would be able to develop an integral, scalable and effective solution to the air quality challenge during the COVID-19 pandemic. With the collaborative efforts of the team, we were able to hand in a report and a video pitch with our project idea, which represents an innovative and very competitive submission to the Space Apps COVID-19 Challenge.
https://youtu.be/cCkcrasB-qQ
- Infosalus. (2019). “El transporte público, escenario perfecto para contraer un virus”. Recovered from: https://www.infosalus.com/salud-investigacion/noticia-transporte-publico-escenario-perfecto-contraer-virus-20190204124126.html
- Del-Campo-Díaz, V. and Torca-de-la-Concepción, E. (2011). “Calidad del Aire Interior en el transporte público en la Ciudad de Victoria-Gasdeiz”. Recovered from: Séptimo Congreso Nacional de Ingeniería Termodinámica-Vilbao.
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). (2020). “Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS)”. Recovered from: https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/g-281237_eclss_0.pdf