SBIR-STTR Award

The COVID-19 Pandemic has caused many farmers rancher and food supply workers to lose income and jobs in rural areas. Furthermore COVID-19 has claimed many lives especially amongst the elderly and low-income population in rural areas. The goal of this USDA SBIR project is to provide a new type of personal protective equipment (PPE) that will directly and indirectly benefit rural populations by improving economic opportunities increasing labor force participation return lost jobs improve food security and significantly reduce COVID-19mortality in rural communities. Aerophase has filed provisional patents for innovative PPE that provides air filtration and total face protection from COVID-19 and other airborne hazards. The proposed USDA SBIR project integrates COVID-19 face and respiratory protection in a light-weight hard hat similar to that often used in harvesting and food processing. The objective is to provide impact head protection pollen protection and COVID-19 Bio-Aerosol protection for a person's entire head including a person's eyes and respiratory system. Another important objective is to provide better protection from COVID-19 than any combination of respirator mask (N95 N99 N100) goggles visor and hard hat. Unlike any similar hat or helmet integrated air filter systems the proposed innovations focus on very low purchase price low operating cost and safe operation in a labor intensive work environment (not a lab). One SBIR project goal is to have savings from frequently disposed respirator masks (N95 masks etc.)alone pay for the Aerophase long filter life PPE in a few weeks.