NIOSH Announces Respirator Fit Evaluation Challenge Phase 3 Winners
NIOSH has awarded three innovative solutions for improving real-time respirator fit evaluation as part of its $350,000 Respirator Fit Evaluation Challenge.
- By Robert Yaniz Jr.
- Oct 25, 2024
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has announced the Phase 3 winners of its Respirator Fit Evaluation Challenge, a $350,000 competition aimed at improving the real-time assessment of filtering facepiece respirator fit. The final phase saw three innovative solutions awarded a total of $150,000 in prize money.
According to a recent release, MOBOMO won first place and was awarded $75,000 for its “Fit and Breathe” app, which uses an infrared camera to detect gaps along the faceseal of a respirator.
The second place $50,000 prize went to OpenAeros for its low-cost, open-source quantitative fit tester, using a non-destructive sampling probe and an open-source condensation particle counter to calculate fit.
Consequent Labs claimed third place and $25,000 for its continuous pressure and temperature sensor, which uses machine learning to notify users about respirator fit conditions in real time.
The challenge—organized by NIOSH in collaboration with Capital Consulting Corporation and the NASA Tournament Lab—launched with concept papers in Phase 1 and moved to prototype development and demonstration in Phase 2. In this final phase, participants delivered functional prototypes for evaluation by NIOSH.
“We are thrilled by how each of these innovators rose to our challenge to identify practical solutions that deliver real-time monitoring of respirator fit,” Maryann D’Alessandro, director of NIOSH’s National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory, said in a statement. “For those who rely on respiratory protection to safeguard their health, this knowledge that a respirator fits and is providing the expected level of protection is crucial.”
For more information on the Phase 3 winners, visit the Challenge website.
About the Author
Robert Yaniz Jr. is the Content Editor of Occupational Health & Safety.