This is the claim of University of Michigan start-up Taza Aya, whose technology could offer a new protection option for workers in industries where the transmission of respiratory disease is a concern.
Third-party testing of Taza Aya's device is said to have demonstrated the effectiveness of the air curtain, which is curved to encircle the face and emanates from nozzles at the hat's brim. The air curtain is cleansed of pathogens present with a non-thermal plasma.
Previous research by the group of Taza Aya co-founder Herek Clack, U-M associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, showed that their method can remove and kill 99 per cent of airborne viruses in farm and laboratory settings.
"Our air curtain technology is precisely designed to protect wearers from airborne infectious pathogens, using treated air as a barrier in which any pathogens present have been inactivated so that they are no longer able to infect you if you breathe them in," Clack said in a statement. "It's virtually unheard of - our level of protection against airborne germs, especially when combined with the improved ergonomics it also provides."
Taza Aya's prototype features a backpack, weighing roughly 10 pounds, that houses the non-thermal plasma sterilising module, air handler, electronics and the unit's battery pack. The handler draws air into the module, where it's treated before flowing to the air curtain's nozzle array.
Turkey test
Taza Aya has conducted user experience testing with workers at Michigan Turkey Producers in Wyoming, Michigan. The plant employs hundreds of workers, many of whom come into direct contact with turkeys during their working day.
To date, paper masks have been used to protect employees in such large-scale agriculture production facilities. On a noisy production line, where many workers speak English as a second language, masks further reduce the ability of workers to communicate by muffling voices and hiding facial clues.
In addition, the effectiveness of masks is reliant on a tight seal over the mouth and nose to ensure proper filtration. Masks can also fog up safety goggles, and they must be removed for workers to eat. Taza Aya's technology is claimed to avoid these problems.
As a researcher at U-M, Clack explored the use of non-thermal plasma to protect livestock. With the onset of COVID-19 in early 2020, he pivoted to how the technology might be used for personal protection from airborne pathogens.
In October of that year, Taza Aya was named an awardee in the Invisible Shield QuickFire Challenge -a competition created by Johnson & Johnson Innovation in cooperation with the US Department of Health and Human Services. The program sought to encourage the development of technologies that could protect people from airborne viruses while having a minimal impact on daily life.
"We are pleased with the study results as we embark on this journey," said Alberto Elli, Taza Aya's CEO. "This real-world product and user testing experience will help us successfully launch the Worker Wearable in 2025."
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