FRESHAIR SENSOR, LLC — Department of Health and Human Services SBIR Phase I: NIDA

Description

Development Commercialization of a Sensing Device to Detect Vaping Summary The use of e cigarettes or vaping has been steadily increasing since its introductionWhile potentially a tool to wean cigarette smokers from combustible tobaccoone consequence of the introduction of these devices has been the adoption of vaping by adolescentsWhile companies that offer vaping instruments for sale note that their material is directed to adults and intended as an aid for smoking cessationrecent reports have demonstrated that middle school and high school students in many countriessome as young as thirteenhave taken to vapingData analysis from astudy in the U Sindicated thatof high school students andof middle school students reported vaping in the past thirty daysMost researchers speculated that the number of users would increase from these baselines and evidence indicates that this prediction is correctAnecdotal evidence indicates that vaping in middle school and high school bathrooms is a major problemFreshAir Sensor currently sells tobacco and marijuana smoking sensors along withmonitoring of the devicesThe company has leveraged the knowledge of sensor development to produce preliminary components of an early stage sensing system capable of detecting vapingPreliminary data to demonstrate this accomplishment is providedThe fast track research described in this proposal will enable the optimization of the sensor as well as commercialization of the resulting instrument in minimal timeThe need to reduce and eventually eliminate adolescent vaping is urgentThe deployment of the proposed device in schools and other educational institutions will eliminate vaping during school hours and willthereforecontribute to improvements in the overall health of adolescents by curtailing nicotine intake Narrative Vaping has become a problem in schools with studentsin steadily increasing numbersusing bathrooms and other less monitored spaces to indulge in the use of the newest vaping hardwareFreshAir Sensor is developing a sensor to detect vaping in otherwise unmonitored spacesThe use of this sensing system has the potential to reduce andeventuallyeliminate vaping behavior in schoolsthereby reducing the harmful effects of nicotine in adolescents