Heated face mask traps, filters coronavirus; Robot sales rise; Headlines online

Face mask traps, heats, filters virus

A team of researchers from MIT is working on creating a mask that inactivates viruses using heat. The researchers aim to build masks that incorporate a heated copper mesh. As the person wearing the mask breathes in and out, air flows repeatedly across the mesh, and any viral particles in the air are slowed and inactivated by the mesh and high temperatures. Such a mask could be useful for health care professionals, the researchers say, as well as members of the public in situations where social distancing would be difficult to achieve, such as a crowded bus. The researchers have begun building prototypes and hope to begin testing them soon.

“This is a completely new mask concept in that it doesn’t primarily block the virus. It actually lets the virus go through the mask, but slows and inactivates it,” said Michael Strano, professor of chemical engineering at MIT.

Inactivating viruses

The team set out to design a mask that would kill viruses using heat. They decided to use copper mesh as the heating and capture element, and performed some mathematical modeling to determine the optimal temperature range they would need to achieve to kill coronaviruses flowing inward or outward from natural breathing.

“The vast majority of masks today function by filtration, filtering particles by size or electric charge,” said Samuel Faucher, a graduate student. “This mask relies on a different mechanism and works predominantly by thermal inactivation.”

Researchers calculated how rapidly coronaviruses degrade at different temperatures and trapping conditions: a temperature of about 90 °C could achieve between a thousandfold and millionfold reduction in viral particles, depending on mask size. That temperature can be achieved by running an electrical current across a 0.1-millimeter thick copper mesh or thermoelectric heater. Prototypes have a 9-volt battery, enough to heat the mask for a few hours and to cool the air before it is inhaled.

The researchers were able to enhance the efficiency of virus deactivation by taking advantage of the breath to create a type of reactor known as a reverse-flow reactor. As the person wearing the mask breathes in and out, the air flow continually reverses, allowing any viruses in the mask to pass over the mesh many times and making it more likely that they will be deactivated.

Robot sales rise due to increased automation, COVID-19 pandemic

Sales value of professional service robots increased by 32% to 11.2 billion U.S. dollars worldwide (2018-2019) according to a report by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR). The COVID-19 pandemic will further boost the market. Market value of logistics robots sold or leased was up 110% to $1.9 billion. Most logistics turnover was generated with robots for indoor use. Autonomous mobile robots have initially been used in warehouses but with digitalization of production, they are in smart factories. Strong turnover growth of 40% or more per year seems possible. IFR President Milton Guerry said, “Assuming 24 hour operation, the investment in service robots for logistics may be repaid within 2‐3 years and often quicker. Given a 15 year lifetime, operating costs are around 5% of the annual investment. Highly developed systems often provide operational availability in the 98% plus range.” Trending robotics-as-a-service (RaaS) business models lower the hurdle for customers to automate with robots. The benefit is not to invest in hardware, so the companies have no fixed capital, no fixed costs and no need for robot operators. - Edited from an IFR press release by CFE Media. Purified air flows out of vents on both sides of the mask. Copper mesh is covered by neoprene material to prevent the outside of the mask from becoming too hot.

“Achieving the temperature for virus inactivation while thermally insulating the person’s face and ensuring acceptably cool air inhalation made for an interesting heat transfer challenge, which we resolved with neoprene insulation and regenerative heating,” Buongiorno said.

N95 respirators, surgical masks, and cloth masks are effective and should be used during the pandemic as directed, Strano said. A potential advantage of heated masks is that because they kill the virus, they don’t need to be decontaminated or thrown away after use. A patent on the design is filed. ce

Anne Trafton, MIT News Office. Edited by Chris Vavra, associate editor, Control Engineering, CFE Media and Technology, cvavra@cfemedia.com.

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