A multi-institutional research team is seeking to revolutionize public health by focusing on sensor-based building systems that monitor and respond to changes in indoor air quality.
The national project is funded by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) and involves eight U.S. universities and three industrial partners (Johnson Controls, Signature Science LLC, and Varro Life Sciences Inc.). The project, which has been dubbed Bioaerosol Risk Assessment interVention Engineering (BRAVE), has a stated goal of reducing respiratory illnesses (such as cold, flu, and asthma symptoms) by 25% by maintaining cleaner air.
How the BRAVE System Works
BRAVE is like an “immune system” for the building that perceives threats and then acts to defend the building from them, according to a press release about the project.
First, a biosensor performs real-time detection of 25 viruses, bacteria, allergens, and fungi in the air. These include SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19), influenza, RSV, Legionella, and Stachybotrys chartarum (black mold).
Next, computational modeling software analyzes data from these biosensors and other sources, then uses the analysis to assess the risk for building occupants.
If the risk is high, the building’s HVAC system increases ventilation with more outdoor air, increases filtration, or turns on germicidal UV systems in the ducts.
The system may also issue alerts and recommend that occupants go outside or reduce occupancy, according to a statement about the project. However, most of the time, it will simply operate in the background and improve air quality when it needs to.
“Our team will build artificial intelligence-assisted multi-scale models and decision-support systems that translate raw sensor data into actionable insights,” said computer science professor Madhav Marathe, executive director of the University of Virginia’s Biocomplexity Institute, in a Biocomplexity Institute news release. “This means not only detecting the presence of pathogens but also understanding the risk they pose in real time and helping buildings respond intelligently to keep occupants healthy.”
The BRAVE system will be piloted in childcare centers, which are frequently plagued by respiratory infections. The research team hopes to eventually commercialize BRAVE so that any building can easily implement it.
