Use of Low-Cost Devices for the Control and Monitoring of CO2 Concentration in Existing Buildings after the COVID Era

A Retrospective Analysis of Indoor CO2 Measurements Obtained with a Mobile Robot during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This work presents a retrospective analysis of indoor CO2 measurements obtained with a mobile robot in an educational building after the COVID-19 lockdown (May 2021), at a time when public activities resumed with mandatory local pandemic restrictions. The robot-based CO2 measurement system was assessed as an alternative to the deployment of a net of sensors in a building in the pandemic period, in which there was a global stock outage of CO2 sensors. The analysis of the obtained measurements confirms that a mobile system can be used to obtain interpretable information on the CO2 levels inside the rooms of a building during a pandemic outbreak.

Numerical performance of CO2 accumulation and droplet dispersion from a cough inside a hospital lift under different ventilation strategies

The impact of mechanical ventilation on airborne diseases is not completely known. The recent pandemic of COVID-19 clearly showed that additional investigations are necessary. The use of computational tools is an advantage that needs to be included in the study of designing safe places. The current study focused on a hospital lift where two subjects were included: a healthy passenger and an infected one. The elevator was modelled with a fan placed on the middle of the ceiling and racks for supplying air at the bottom of the lateral wall. Three ventilation strategies were evaluated: a without ventilation case, an upwards-blowing exhausting fan case and a downwards-blowing fan case. Five seconds after the elevator journey began, the infected person coughed. For the risk assessment, the CO2 concentration, droplet removal performance and dispersion were examined and compared among the three cases. The results revealed some discrepancies in the selection of an optimal ventilation strategy. Depending on the evaluated parameter, downward-ventilation fan or no ventilation strategy could be the most appropriate approach.

A Brief Review on Flexible Electronics for IoT: Solutions for Sustainability and New Perspectives for Designers

The Internet of Things (IoT) is gaining more and more popularity and it is establishing itself in all areas, from industry to everyday life. Given its pervasiveness and considering the problems that afflict today's world, that must be carefully monitored and addressed to guarantee a future for the new generations, the sustainability of technological solutions must be a focal point in the activities of researchers in the field. Many of these solutions are based on flexible, printed or wearable electronics. The choice of materials therefore becomes fundamental, just as it is crucial to provide the necessary power supply in a green way. In this paper we want to analyze the state of the art of flexible electronics for the IoT, paying particular attention to the issue of sustainability. Furthermore, considerations will be made on how the skills required for the designers of such flexible circuits, the features required to the new design tools and the characterization of electronic circuits are changing.

An Internet of Things Sensor Array for Spatially and Temporally Resolved Indoor Climate Measurements

The COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the need for infection risk analysis and assessment of ventilation systems in indoor environments based on air quality criteria. In this context, simulations and direct measurements of CO₂ concentrations as a proxy for exhaled air can help to shed light on potential aerosol pathways. While the former typically lack accurate boundary conditions as well as spatially and temporally resolved validation data, currently existing measurement systems often probe rooms in non-ideal, single locations. Addressing both of these issues, a large and flexible wireless array of 50 embedded sensor units is presented that provides indoor climate metrics with configurable spatial and temporal resolutions at a sensor response time of 20 s. Augmented by an anchorless self-localization capability, three-dimensional air quality maps are reconstructed up to a mean 3D Euclidean error of 0.21 m. Driven by resolution, ease of use, and fault tolerance requirements, the system has proven itself in day-to-day use at ETH Zurich, where topologically differing auditoria (at-grade, sloped) were investigated under real occupancy conditions. The corresponding results indicate significant spatial and temporal variations in the indoor climate rendering large sensor arrays essential for accurate room assessments. Even in well-ventilated auditoria, cleanout time constants exceeded 30 min.