PUREX: Smart UVC air sterilisation

PUREX is a UVC air sterilisation device with an integrated AI sensing system to provide a real-time air quality analysis in a room.

Our vision is to create a PUREX systems network to provide clean air and the data required to ensure a clean indoor environment.

Dr. Azael Jesus Cortes Capetillo

Indoor pathogen air contamination is an ongoing problem that the current SARS-COV-2 pandemic has magnified.

Although official only two sources of infections are recognised - surface deposition and direct contact - new findings suggest that the virus could also be airborne, meaning it can travel for more than 4 metres from its source and remain in the air for long periods of time. 

Most of the pathogen contamination is created by the indoor inhabitants, and it's extremely difficult to detect. Common air purifiers rely on HEPA filters to capture virus and other gaseous contaminants, however, they do not eliminate the pathogen, turning themselves into an infection source. Moreover, to date there is no system capable of detecting pathogen contamination in real-time, making it difficult to ensure secure indoor air conditions.

PUREX is a smart air sterilisation system optimised to eliminate pathogens by UVC irradiation. Incorporating a series of sensors to detect humidity, temperature, CO2 and VOCs, powered by an AI analysis algorithm to monitor the air quality in a room and calculate an indoor-pathogen safety level.

Our solution has three primary markets health centres, schools, and workspaces. Initially, we are focusing on a small niche within health centres, the private medical practices.

Private medical practices tend to be agile in the decision-making process as usually the decider is the owner of the practice and the sole responsible for the quality of its practice. PUREX has a direct and immediate impact on the service quality of the medical practice by ensuring pathogen-free indoors for patients and doctors. 

PUREX follows a co-creation agile development methodology, working closely with our niche customers and constantly iterating designs. This has been an ongoing optimisation process, constantly testing ideas and pivoting solutions.

We are planning our product in releases, Release 1 focused on the mechanical function of UV air sterilisation, Release 2 focused on the smart integration of sensors and AI analysis, Release 3 will focus on a proprietary bio-sensor that will equip unique capabilities to our technology.

Our product is a tangible device capable of sterilising indoor air and measuring environmental conditions to detect indoor air contamination.

Our product provides clean sterile air for indoor inhabitants. It helps to recircle and sterilise the biological contamination created by the same indoor inhabitants.

Our product will impact immediately our primary target market which is small and medium medical practices. These spaces are in constant danger of exposure to airborne pathogen contamination, in fact, the medical sector in Mexico has been one of the hardest sectors hit by the Sars-Cov-2 pandemic.

Our product will provide immediate protection to indoor inhabitants by reducing indoor air pathogen contamination. Moreover, it will help the indoor inhabitants to track airborne contamination.

In Mexico alone, there are approximately 24,000 medical centres (big and small). 

We are aiming to install our device in over 100 medical centres in the next year. And Over 1,000 medical centres over the next 3 years.

By equipping our device with environmental sensors (temperature, humidity, CO2 and VOC), and developing our proprietary biosensor, we will be able to provide a direct real-time status of the pathogen contamination in the room.

Our impact goal is to reduce indoor pathogen contamination, and we will measure it with the sensors and AI analytics incorporated in our device.

1. Technical barrier: We are currently working on two technological developments a) the AI engine for data analysis, and b) the proprietary biosensor.

To solve this we are working with the mechatronic department at Tec de Monterrey, and we are including a bachelor and a postgrad student. However, we are in need of financial resources to cover their salaries.

2. Financial barrier: We are in need of financial resources to a) cover some of the expenses of the technical development (prototyping and team salaries), and b) send the UV sterilisation device for testing at an independent lab in the University of Leeds UK to validate its air sterilisation efficacy.

For the development, we need resources to cover prototyping costs and salaries ($20,000 USD approx)

For the testing at the University of Leeds, we need $5,000 USD approx.

We are self-financing some of the activities by the income generated by the commercialisation of our product in its current state.

Tecnologico de Monterrey

We are looking for funding opportunities, commercialisation partnerships, and technology development opportunities.

We are interested in partner with the University of Cambridge, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and Tencent.

The University of Cambridge is an institution to help continue with our technology development efforts.

The Bill and Melinda Gates to help us promote and connect our solution to serve in developing countries.

Tencent to develop AI technology and help us to connect with China technology and entrepreneurship ecosystem.