Automating decontamination of N95 masks for frontline workers in COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

In response to the N95 mask shortage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the US CDC has recognized moist-heat as one of the most effective and accessible methods for decontaminating N95 masks for reuse. However, it is challenging to reliably deploy this technique in healthcare settings due to a lack of specialized equipment capable of ensuring proper decontamination conditions. To this end, we developed a wireless sensor platform for moist-heat decontamination process verification, capable of monitoring hundreds of masks simultaneously in commercially available heating systems. Our easy-to-use, low-power, low-cost, scalable platform can be broadly deployed to protect front-line healthcare workers by lowering their risk of infection from reused N95 masks.