SBIR-STTR Award

Exposure to particulate air pollutants is associated with cardiovascular disease, asthma, lung cancer, and other illnesses. In the United States the CDC estimates that asthma costs $20 billion annually in medical care, lost work days, and early deaths. However, due to the complexity of the environmental exposure mechanisms, there remains a degree of uncertainty concerning disease etiology. Wearable and highly-sensitive particulate sensors could help further elucidate the linkages between disease and particulate exposure. In this Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project Aerodyne Microsystems Inc. (AMI) will investigate the feasibility of a miniaturized, battery-powered, and inexpensive sensor for real-time monitoring of exposure to airborne particulate matter (PM) from 2.5 um to ultrafine. The system employs the thermophoretic deposition of particulates from a sample stream onto a thin-film bulk acoustic wave resonator (FBAR), and determines the PM mass deposited by measuring the frequency shift of oscillation. Incorporation of micromachined-electromechanical-system (MEMS) technologies allows unprecedented reduction in power consumption, cost, sample flow rate, and size. The research plan is to develop and experimentally demonstrate a new method for generation of air flow in the device, demonstrate sensor operation across a wide range of harsh, real-world operating conditions, and realize a new technique for aerosol sampling and handling that improves the sensor level of detection. The successful outcome of the project would culminate in a low-cost analytical instrument that provides real-time mass concentration of particles in a compact, wearable form factor. The monitor would be suitable for quantification of personal exposure to a range of environmental pollutants such as automotive exhaust, wood smoke, and nanoparticles. Other markets for the instrument include ventilation control, industrial hygiene, power plant monitoring, pharmaceutical powder processing, monitoring in aircraft and automobiles, and consumer air quality monitoring. The 2017 worldwide addressable market for the technology is over $400 million per year.

Public Health Relevance Statement:
This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project contributes to public health by enabling a highly-sensitive, wearable, and low-cost PM mass monitor for epidemiological studies of aerosol exposure. The monitor enables dense temporal and spatial networked measurements of air quality as well as personal exposure monitoring. The proposed technology has important societal impact by enabling widespread monitoring of airborne PM in the environment, home, and workplace, and by reducing the cost of collecting airborne PM pollution data.

Project Terms:
Acoustics; Acoustic; Aerosols; Air; Air Movements; Air Pollutants; Aircraft; Asthma; Bronchial Asthma; Automobiles; Budgets; Cardiovascular Diseases; cardiovascular disorder; United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; United States Centers for Disease Control; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Centers for Disease Control; CDC; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.); Death; Cessation of life; Disorder; Disease; electronic device; Electronics; Environment; Environmental Exposure; Environmental Pollutants; Epidemiology Surveillance; Epidemiological surveillance; Epidemiological Monitoring; Epidemiologic surveillance; Epidemiologic Monitoring; Government; Head; Health; Humidity; lung disorder; disorder of the lung; disease of the lung; Respiratory System Disorder; Respiratory System Disease; Respiratory Disease; Pulmonary Disorder; Pulmonary Diseases; Lung diseases; Methods; heart infarction; heart infarct; heart attack; coronary infarction; coronary infarct; coronary attack; cardiac infarct; Myocardial Infarct; Cardiac infarction; Myocardial Infarction; Persons; Particle Size; polychlorobiphenyl; Polychlorobiphenyl Compounds; PCBs; Polychlorinated Biphenyls; Powders; Powder dose form; Power Plants; pressure; Public Health; Research; Researchers; Investigators; Research Personnel; circulatory shock; Circulatory Collapse; Shock; Technology; Temperature; Leanness; Thinness; Time; United States; Ventilation; Environmental air flow; Work; Ultrafine; Generations; Industrial Hygiene; Industrial Health; Measures; Device Designs; Film; doubt; Uncertainty; TimeLine; Caring; Workplace; work setting; Worksite; Work-Site; Work Place; Work Location; Job Site; Job Setting; Job Place; Job Location; base; exhaust; detector; Pump; sensor; improved; Acute; Chronic; premature; prematurity; Phase; Medical; Link; Ensure; Evaluation; Malignant neoplasm of lung; lung cancer; Pulmonary malignant Neoplasm; Pulmonary Cancer; Malignant Tumor of the Lung; Measurement; Exposure to; Deposition; Deposit; instrument; Pollution; Frequencies; Home environment; Home; Stream; Techniques; System; Particulate; vibration; particle; novel; Devices; epidemiology study; epidemiologic investigation; Epidemiology Research; Epidemiological Studies; Epidemiologic Studies; Epidemiologic Research; Modeling; Sampling; miniaturize; air sampling; Pharmacological Substance; Pharmaceuticals; Pharmaceutical Agent; Pharmacologic Substance; disease causation; causation; Causality; Etiology; Airborne Particulate Matter; airborne particulate; Data; Detection; Collection; Small Business Innovation Research Grant; Small Business Innovation Research; SBIR; Monitor; Particulate Matter; environmental change; cost; microsystems; design; designing; nanoparticle; nanosized particle; nano-sized particle; nano particle; Outcome; Consumption; prototype; operation; personal exposure monitor; wood smoke; woodsmoke; real time monitoring; realtime monitoring

Exposure to particulate air pollutants is associated with cardiovascular disease, asthma, lung cancer, and other illnesses. In the United States the CDC estimates that asthma costs $20 billion annually in medical care, lost workdays, and early deaths. However, due to the complexity of the environmental exposure mechanisms, there remains a degree of uncertainty concerning disease etiology. Wearable and highly-sensitive particulate sensors could help further elucidate the linkages between disease and particulate exposure. In this Small Business Innovation Research Phase 2 project Aerodyne Microsystems Inc. (AMI) will investigate the feasibility of a miniaturized, battery-powered, and inexpensive sensor for real-time monitoring of exposure to airborne particulate matter (PM) from 2.5 um to ultrafine. The system employs the thermophoretic deposition of particulates from a sample air stream onto a thin-film bulk acoustic wave resonator (FBAR), and determines the PM mass deposited by measuring the frequency shift of oscillation. Incorporation of micromachined-electromechanical-system (MEMS) technologies allows unprecedented reduction in power consumption, cost, sample flow rate, and size. The research plan is to develop and experimentally demonstrate a new method for generation of air flow in the device, demonstrate sensor operation across a wide range of harsh, real-world operating conditions, and realize a new technique for aerosol sampling and handling that improves the sensor level of detection. The successful outcome of the project would culminate in a low-cost analytical instrument that provides real-time mass concentration of particles in a compact, wearable form factor. The monitor would be suitable for quantification of personal exposure to a range of environmental pollutants such as automotive exhaust, wood smoke, and nanoparticles. Other markets for the instrument include ventilation control, industrial hygiene, power plant monitoring, pharmaceutical powder processing, monitoring in aircraft and automobiles, and consumer air quality monitoring.

Public Health Relevance Statement:
This Small Business Innovation Research Phase 2 project contributes to public health by enabling a highly-sensitive, wearable, and low-cost PM mass monitor for epidemiological studies of aerosol exposure. The monitor enables dense temporal and spatial networked measurements of air quality as well as personal exposure monitoring. The proposed technology has important societal impact by enabling widespread monitoring of airborne PM in the environment, home, and workplace, and by reducing the cost of collecting airborne PM pollution data.

Project Terms:
Acoustics; Acoustic; Aerosols; Air; Air Movements; air flow; airflow; Air Pollutants; Aircraft; Asthma; Bronchial Asthma; Automobiles; Behavior; Cardiovascular Diseases; cardiovascular disorder; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.); CDC; Centers for Disease Control; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; United States Centers for Disease Control; United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Cessation of life; Death; Disease; Disorder; Electronics; electronic device; Environment; Environmental Exposure; Environmental Pollutants; Epidemiologic Monitoring; Epidemiologic surveillance; Epidemiological Monitoring; Epidemiological surveillance; Epidemiology Surveillance; Government; Health; Heating; Humidity; Laboratories; Methods; Myocardial Infarction; Cardiac infarction; Myocardial Infarct; cardiac infarct; coronary attack; coronary infarct; coronary infarction; heart attack; heart infarct; heart infarction; Persons; optical; Optics; Powders; Powder dose form; Power Plants; Public Health; Research; Cell Communication and Signaling; Cell Signaling; Intracellular Communication and Signaling; Signal Transduction Systems; Signaling; biological signal transduction; Signal Transduction; Technology; Leanness; Thinness; Time; United States; Weight; Ultrafine; Generations; Industrial Health; Industrial Hygiene; Measures; Film; Uncertainty; doubt; Data Set; Dataset; Caring; Workplace; Job Location; Job Place; Job Setting; Job Site; Work Location; Work Place; Work-Site; Worksite; work setting; exhaust; sensor; improved; Area; Acute; Chronic; premature; prematurity; Phase; Medical; Link; Compensation; Financial compensation; Evaluation; Malignant Tumor of the Lung; Pulmonary Cancer; Pulmonary malignant Neoplasm; lung cancer; Malignant neoplasm of lung; Measurement; Gravities; Force of Gravity; Exposure to; Deposit; Deposition; instrument; mechanical; Mechanics; Pollution; Frequencies; Stream; Techniques; System; Particulate; Best Practice Analysis; Benchmarking; particle; Performance; Structure; validation studies; Devices; Epidemiologic Research; Epidemiologic Studies; Epidemiological Studies; Epidemiology Research; epidemiologic investigation; epidemiology study; Modeling; Sampling; develop software; developing computer software; software development; miniaturize; air sampling; Pharmaceutical Agent; Pharmaceuticals; Pharmacological Substance; Pharmacologic Substance; µfluidic; Microfluidics; Diameter; Caliber; Causality; causation; disease causation; Etiology; extreme temperature; airborne particulate; Airborne Particulate Matter; Data; Detection; Resolution; Small Business Innovation Research Grant; SBIR; Small Business Innovation Research; Validation; Monitor; Modification; Development; developmental; Particulate Matter; cost; microsystems; design; designing; nanoparticle; nano particle; nano-sized particle; nanosized particle; Outcome; Consumption; prototype; operation; personal exposure monitor; wood smoke; woodsmoke; temporal measurement; temporal resolution; time measurement; fine particles; PM2.5; fine particulate matter; real time monitoring; realtime monitoring; ventilation; Home; Respiratory Disease; Respiratory System Disease; Respiratory System Disorder