22. JUNI 2023 12:40 Bern/Niederrohrdorf AG
The Baldachin, developed by the Aargau company NanoCleanAir against the transmission of respiratory viruses in hospital rooms, is installed in the Inselspital. The pilot project with this world-first prototype was initiated by sitem-insel, the Bern Institute for Technology Transfer.
The world's first prototype of the Baldachin against the transmission of respiratory viruses in hospital rooms is now in place at Inselspital, University Hospital Bern. According to a media release (pdf, in German), a study on the effectiveness and suitability for everyday use is underway there. The Baldachin is designed to create a virus-free zone around a patient's bed. Patients can thus be temporarily cared for in a protected zone until they are no longer infectious.
Inside the Baldachin, virus-containing particles are moved in the airflow toward the plexiglas ceiling and then deactivated by filtration at a rate of over 99.5 percent, according to a study. The filtered air is returned to the room. The Baldachin is robustly built, material-tested, foldable, transportable on casters and flexible enough to fit any hospital bed underneath.
This prototype was developed in just one year by NanoCleanAir GmbH, based in Niederrohrdorf, Aargau. The technology is based on ceramic filters used in the automotive industry. The team led by co-founder and co-owner Dr. Andreas Mayer has already worked significantly on the development and introduction of these particulate filters for diesel engines since 1994.
The fact that this Baldachin prototype is now in place at Inselspital is thanks to sitem-insel, according to the release. The fact that this Baldachin prototype is now installed at Inselspital is thanks to sitem-insel, according to the press release. The Swiss Institute for Translational and Entrepreneurial Medicine has been pulling the strings in the background since 2020, bringing together relevant players and providing expert support. The project's research partners include the Institute for Sensor Technology and Electronics at the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland (aerosol laboratory), Swiss NanoAnalytics at the Adolphe Merkle Institute of the University of Fribourg (filter efficiency measurements) and Combustion and Flow Solutions GmbH (flow calculations and simulations).
