RPS: Renewable Purified Space

Purifaction of the air inside public transport using technology powered by solar energy. 

Using an axial fan of about 70CFM (Cubic foot per minute) and HEPA filters, this technology purifies the air 6 times in and hour  (Based on recomedantions of the -American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) inside a space of about 22 cubic meters. All of this powered by a solar panels converting solar energy to electricity. The fan is connected to the solar panel on the roof of the van.

Mainly, I want to reduce the risk of getting infected by coronavirus inside an specific public transport popularly known in Mexico as "Combi", which is a Van. 

This type of transport is one of the most frequents way of moving inside the ZMVM ( Metropolitan Area of the Valley of Mexico), which extends for a total area of 5954 squared meters, and has a population of about 22 million habitants. Reports before the pandemic say that between the combi and microbus(another type of public transport, similar to a bus but has smaller dimensions) the where about 11.5 million trips done. The cost of travelling in Combi is very cheap(its about 5 to 10 MXN, or from 0.25 to 0.5 USD).

The full capacity on average is about 19 passengers, with an average of 37 minutes of travel time. Normally the types of van used for these type of transport, only have one or two small windows on each side which passengers close in the mornings(mainly) and on the nights because of the cold temperatures. These can create dangerous situations because there is not enough ventilation in the enviroment and the peak hour of travel is in the mornings (confirmed by an investigation agency). My solution is not planted to be a substitute of the natural ventilation of windows but a help in certain hours where people health can be compromised due to the factors previously exposed. 

I want to improve the quality of the service this specific trasport offers, so this will help every people that uses this publlic transport, from people that use it to go to work or students that use it every day to go to school. 

Also I want to help the conductors of the unit of transport. There has been a report that in general the usage of public transport was reduced about an 80%(this does not mean that in some combis' routes there are trips done at maximun capacity), this has affected to the economy of the drivers of combis. 

On the other hand, there has been an increment on the usage of private transport such as taxis or Uber. In one of largest cities of the world, this creates more traffic, a bigger ecological footprint and health problems derived from the bad air condition(the pollution from green house gases is the ninth factor of dead in Mexico).

I expect to incentivate the usage of public transport as a safe, clean, cheap and a more ecological alternative for travelling. 

This could help thousands of people at a low cost.

I've interviewed conductors of combis from different points in the city, and they've have confirmed that is ussual that the people close the windows in the mornings. Some of them responded that they are not even tranporting the half of people they used to due to the pandemic.

Also, my schoolmates are worried about going to presential classes due to the risk of using public transport which is the cheapest way to move(Many people where left out of education because of not having an electronic device to take virtual classes). This leaves a big economic disparity because most of the student can't afford a private vehicle for transportation( The majority of students attend a public school).

I also use the public transport, and I have experienced large affluence of people inside the units of combis and microbuses.

I chose concept because there is some invetigation that has to be done before developing a prototype. I could not find any research about the concentrations of CO2 done specificly for the Combis or how the air flows due to the arrange of people in it and how would the purifier would affect on the air flow. But there is real problematic for what I investigated about indoor dangers when there's no good ventilation. Certainly 19 passengers sharing a close space needs to be taken on account. 

Following the general recomendations of agencies and of the government, i am sure the ventilation and purificantion of air are allies when fighting against COVID. 

The core technology would be the fan that is powered by converting solar energy from the solar panels to electric energy.

Also, ther could be some improvements to the base idea, like adding a sensor and a CO2 meter to activate the fan when its needen and optimize the usage of the solar energy, that would elevate the cost, but it's also a good alternative. Or a device that allows the conductor to turn the fan when the vehicle its at full capacity.

As said before the pandemic between microbus and combi there were 11.5 million trips done daily, there is an estimate of 6 million people covering these trips. According to some investigations there has been a reduction of 80% on the usage of public transport that would mean that if the solution is efficient and covers the majority of the combis in the Metropolitan Area of the Valley of Mexico, we will be starting to helping around 1.2 million people.

First of all, my main goal is to reduce the probability of getting infected inside the public transport as much as it's possible by making studies and investigations of how the air flows inside the Combi, then the next goal would be to incentivate people to use this public transport by showing people the results of the studies. And the last goal would be implementing that model to other ambits as offices for example.

-Good Health

-Reduce Inequalities

-Sustainable Cities

-Climate Action

The principal barrier would be developing the purifier that best suits the conditions inside a Combi.

I study Engeeniring in Biomedical Systems in UNAM, and I have always been passionate about helping others, I have dedications to my studies and I always want to prove things before I applie them, if something does not work i always try different approaches this application of the purifier may not work, but that does not mean I will surrender in finding a way to help people.