Do you know what the air quality is like in your office, apartment or school? Thanks to an innovation by a scientist from the Vinca Institute, we will soon get an answer to that as well

As the winter period is getting closer and the heating season starts, and the PM particle and air pollution numbers start to jump, there are few of those who don’t closely follow precisely such reports on TV or browse popular world websites such as Waqi.info, IQAir etc.

However, if the innovation patented by scientists from the Institute of Nuclear Science Vinca becomes accepted on a wider scale, each home could afford a small portable air quality measurement device, and for a start, at least schools and preschool institutions could do so – Dr Ivan Lazovic, the head of “Centar Operativa” at the Vinca Institute, who is responsible for this patent, sincerely hopes.

Although research is something he has been active in since 2011, first as a volunteer in this institute, and then as an employee at the Laboratory for Thermal Engineering and Energy at the Vinca Institute, and even before that, as a child who was interested in technology and technological achievements, this innovation on which eKapija’s interviewee worked for several years was incited, as is often the case when it comes to innovations, by the desire to contribute to the quality of his own children’s lives. And Dr Lazovic has three of them and they are all of a preschool or school age. True, since the beginning of his careers, he has mostly actively taken part in local and international projects dealing with energy efficient solutions in building construction and the improvement of air quality, so one such product is a logical result of that. And the end goal that he had in creating this device, he says, was to raise awareness of the importance of air quality among the users.



– The aim of these devices is to measure the air quality in local areas, to establish local networks in areas in which we most frequently stay, in our city, street, office, apartment, and even in our immediate space, where we can have an insight into our personal exposure to polluting matters. That air quality measurement is not just a display of numbers, but to understand the events that take place in the air and to get to the causes – says Dr Lazovic.

A signal to teacher for when to open or close the window

As he says, that means that, for example, if the device in the classroom shows a high level of CO2 because there are plenty of pupils in a closed room, which causes them to be drowsy, the teacher gets a signal from the device to open the window and air the room.

– On the other hand, when the challenges, that, is, the pollution factors, are outside – for example, if something is being built next to the school, so there’s a great quantity of cement or sand, the device notifies that the risk is coming from the outside and that gives the teacher a signal not to open the windows – our interviewee explains.

He also found the inspiration for making this device through experience with working on projects and experimental measurements, in which he has actively participated and still actively participates.

– The idea was to develop a device which not only follows the current standards, but also overcomes the limitations of the existing commercial solutions – Dr Lazovic says for eKapija.

On this occasion, he especially emphasizes that the device is a result of years of team-work, by both the colleagues from the Vinca Institute and the Institute for Mining and Metallurgy Bor: Marija Zivkovic, PhD in Chemistry, Visa Tasic, PhD in Electronic Science, and Uzahir Ramadani, a doctoral student at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Belgrade, as well as other colleagues.

Founding of startup planned

The innovation has already been applied as a small patent at the Institute for Intellectual Property of the Republic of Serbia, and the plan is to also found a startup. That is the important factor on which it depends when this new small mobile device will be able to be put in private homes, schools and kindergartens.

– Our device for the measuring of air quality is characterized by numerous advantages which make it unique in the market. Above all, it is designed so as to be affordable and available to a wider public, which enables more users to monitor the air quality in their area. In addition to that, the device is extremely practical – simple to use and easily portable, enabling measurements in various locations, in line with the users’ needs – Dr Lazovic adds and notes that it is difficult to estimate the future price of the product, considering that it will depend on numerous factors: whether it measures only gases or particles as well, whether it is connected to a network, how many sensors it will have, whether it is digitized and so on.

During the development of this product, which took about a year, special attention was paid to improving the functionality.



– We have implemented additions which are not present in most commercial devices, which leads to more accurate and detailed data on air quality. These characteristics make our device not just reliable, but also adapted to everyday needs of the users, whereby we contribute to improving the quality of life and the awareness of the importance of the preservation of the living environment – says eKapija’s interviewee.

When it comes to the reliability of the device, Dr Lazovic points out that new technologies, like IoT and low-cost sensors, have their advantages, but also drawbacks.

Measurement accuracy

– The flaw of low-cost sensors compared to reference devices is measurement accuracy. That is why, in the development of these devices, we paid more attention to the calibration, as well as the use of machine learning as a tool for improving the accuracy and precision. Also, these devices can show measurement results in almost real time on their monitors, and the modern design and its compactness make it desirable for each home or office – says our interviewee.

He and his team are currently working on improving the device, and at the same time, they are looking into the possibilities for further development through feedback by users and additional analyses.

– Through further participation in national and international projects, we are working on the development and wide application of such devices, and we are also considering forming a startup – adds Dr Lazovic and points out that one of the plans is to apply for that purpose for funds from the Innovation Fund of Serbia.

And this is not the only device on which Dr Lazovic is working with the members of his team.

– We are currently working on patenting another similar device, which will use sensors for the measurement of gases, whereas the existing device focuses on measuring the particles. Another one of our key ideas for the future is to develop an integrated device which will be able to measure both particles and gases, providing a full overview of the quality of air in a community. This vision motivates us to continue innovating and improving our solutions – concludes Dr Lazovic.

Danijela Stanimirovic-Gavrilov

Institut za nuklearne nauke Vinča Beograd

Zavod za intelektualnu svojinu Republike Srbije

Fond za inovacionu delatnost Beograd

Institute for Nuclear Sciences Vinča

Institute for Intellectual Property of the Republic of Serbia

Innovation Fund

Ivan Lazović

air quality measurement device

scientific work

innovations

patents

air quality

air pollution