Intro/Lit Review + Problem Statement + Purpose Statement

1. Introduction 

This proposal is written in response to a request for recommended solutions to engineering problems. It addresses the issues related to the quality of air in the surrounding area. The proposed solution aims to enhance the design technology of SaniDrone, by Texas Medical Technology, to provide a higher level of sanitization and ease the workload for users such as cleaners. With the rise of COVID-19 virus transmissions, the proposed sanitation drone will be essential in getting rid of bacteria, viruses, and germs. We will also focus on how the virus is passed from one person to another in an enclosed area. The enhancement will boost the branding of Texas Medical Technology with the implementation of the technology introduced to improve air quality for people around the world.

1.1 Background

1.1.1 Overview of Air Quality

Air Quality is usually measured in reference to air pollutants, emissions of harmful gasses and chemicals. In this section, we will be addressing the quality of air and how it may affect respiratory viruses. With the emergence of COVID-19 pandemic, air quality in urban areas has dropped drastically. Although air quality has improved slightly because of lockdown, air pollutants’ concentration rose back to pre-lockdown levels immediately after lockdown ended (Silva et al., 2022). Air quality in our surroundings is poor and this adversely affects our respiratory system, especially with the pandemic still ongoing. According to Bourdrel et al (2022), “Experimental studies conducted for other respiratory viruses support the hypothesis that air pollution exposure may facilitate the occurrence of COVID-19 infection through a decrease in immune response”. With the rise in air pollution, viruses are spreading rapidly in common areas such as shopping malls and public transport.

1.1.2 Importance of Clean Air

Air, water and food are basic survival needs of a human being. In fact, without food, we can stay alive for days. Without water, we can arguably stay alive for a few days. But, without air, we will be dead in several minutes. Hence, air is essentially the most important need of mankind. 

1.1.3 Infectious Illness and Diseases due to lack of Clean Air

According to the article “Impact of air pollution in health and socio-economic aspects: Review on future approach” (2020), the lack of clean air leads to a profound range of diseases that bring harmful consequences to public safety. In the current earth’s atmosphere, the major contaminants consist of particulate matter which are caused by  human’s activities such as the burning of fossil fuels and the use of vehicles that produce sulfur oxides and carbon monoxides. Those contaminants can lead to harmful emissions and it was reported by WHO that roughly 43% deaths are caused by the lack of clean air which obstruct the human’s main organ such as the lungs. Amidst that, the lack of clean air in the environment has also caused an increased risk of Covid-19 throughout the occurrence of the pandemic (Jevtic et al., 2021). Due to that, many have raised concerns in the need to monitor and improve air quality in the atmosphere so as to bring the level of pollution down to the recommended values by WHO.

1.1.4 Overview of Existing Drone Technology

A drone is a portable unmanned aircraft that can be used in many applications. Drones can be used for aerial photography, traffic surveillance, firefighting and in our case, sanitizing. Some basic drone technologies include the Global Positioning System (GPS), collision avoidance and stabilization sensors. The navigation system of a drone is typically placed in the front of the nose. The GPS on the drone tells the controller its specific location. The GPS also detects the altitude level of a drone and reports it back to the controller. Drones are also fitted with a collision avoidance system to prevent the drone from colliding with any obstacles in its way. Drones now provide obstacle detection in 5 directions: front, back, below, above and side to side (Lutkevich, 2021). A steady flying drone also incorporates stabilization sensors. The stabilization sensor uses a gyroscope which sends its data remotely to a computer. It then uses codes and programs to alter the state of the drone which in turn, keeps it level. 

Drones are refined daily to be more efficient in solving problems to ease human jobs.

1.1.5 Working Principle of an Air Particle Sensor

The concern on the impact from air pollution entering the human system is raising. “Human exposure to air pollution has been linked to increased rates of COVID-19 mortality. A link between COVID-19 cases and concentration of airborne particulate matter (PM) at regional level was reported ”(Specht et al., 2022). With these concerns, it is essential that we take precaution measures such as ensuring safe air quality in the identified areas.

Air particle sensors make use of the “light scattering” method to measure the concentration of particles in the surrounding air. While they ensure the air quality is of peak condition, they can also detect anomalies and feedback to the user so that necessary actions can be taken. 

1.1.6 Customisable Flight Path in Drone Technology

The automation feature is becoming more common in drones today. DJI, a chinese technology company which specialises in drones, has implemented a smart flying known as the “way point” feature. Using the app, the user is able to set a custom flight path on a map with way points. The user is also able to set the intended altitude and speed. However, the user must first fly the drone through the flight path to register the way points. After recording the ideal way points once, the drone will be able to carry out the flight path on its own. 

1.2 Problem Statement 

The ideal sanitisation drone should be able to operate autonomously with custom flight features and ensure the highest level of sanitation with proposed air particle sensors. The existing sanitisation drone has to be flown manually and lacks the technology to detect air quality in the atmosphere. An area which is unclean might be neglected and left unclean. With the implementation of an automation feature together with air quality sensors around the drone, the sanitisation drone will provide a more efficient and effective sanitisation process by examining the cleanliness of an area and provide further sanitisation if necessary.

1.3 Purpose Statement 

This report proposes an innovative design to Lucid Drones to introduce our idea of a sanitisation drone (SDrone). This innovation will contain air particle sensors that will detect the cleanliness of the atmosphere within an enclosed facility and continue to sanitise when necessary. These implementations would help ease the cleaners day to day task and at the same time provide the facility users peace of mind on the cleanliness quality.