Purify the Air Supply

Has your time spent indoors increased during the COVID-19 pandemic as a result of stay-at-home and shelter-in-place policies worldwide? Your challenge is to use the International Space Station (ISS) as inspiration and develop a system to monitor and/or purify indoor air. It is entirely up to you whether the system you design is able to be used on Earth (for example in homes, businesses, transportation, etc.) and/or in space.

AIRbox

Summary

We've created an air purifier and carbon monoxide detector/alarm for those who want better breathing while stuck indoors and a lower risk of breathing in pathogens. Our box takes in air through a standard particulate filter, treats it with high intensity UVC light to kill pathogens, then sends it out through a standard activated charcoal filter to remove the most common dangerous/waste gases.

How We Addressed This Challenge

Our device is an effective 50 euro alternative to commercial air purifiers that can have prices in the hundreds or thousands of euros. These clearly aren't viable for the everyday person to buy and use, so we knew it was necessary to find a more distilled version that could be offered widely. Our device can purify air to keep people safe from the threats of pathogens and most major air pollution, while letting them stay indoors. It also includes a computer-controlled carbon monoxide alarm system, which has become a literally unseen threat to those who are constantly indoors in these times.

How We Developed This Project

The inspiration for our design came from NASA's usage of UVC light for sterilization on the ISS, and the mega-expensive spin-off Airocide product that had key designs from NASA itself. A little closer to home than the ISS, we thought about how in the country where the majority of us live - Cyprus - store-owners can't use their AC for fear of letting the coronavirus hang around in the air. Meanwhile, they're melting in what can be 40 degree heat! Our design lets people stay safe AND comfortable, while not breaking the bank or requiring any technical know-how to operate.

Project Demo

*We used a Raspberry Pi 3b+ and a motion sensor as a proof of concept for our CO detector/alarm, which can be seen here

Our designs are here

The specs of the device are here

Global Judging
This project was submitted for consideration during the Space Apps Global Judging process.