Respirator Fit Evaluation Challenge: NIOSH names Phase 2 winners

Washington — NIOSH has chosen nine winners for the second phase of its Respirator Fit Evaluation Challenge.

The three-phase initiative “seeks practical solutions that deliver real-time information on filtering facepiece respirator fit.”

The Phase 2 winners will share a $100,000 purse for the design of prototypes. They advanced from Phase 1, in which 20 individuals or teams were awarded for papers outlining respirator-fit solution concepts.

Among the winners: a mobile testing app, an artificial intelligence-assisted mobile app that provides immediate feedback on respirator fit and a thermal monitoring system.

The prototype designs will be evaluated during Phase 3, with winning entries to be awarded for first, second and third place.

“Recent and recurring disasters, including the recent pandemics and frequent large wildfires in the western United States and Canada, highlight the need for appropriate respiratory protection,” Maryann D’Alessandro, director of NIOSH’s National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory, said in a press release. “The solutions developed through this challenge will provide novel technologies and innovative approaches with the aim of delivering immediate feedback to users about the fit of their respirator during use.”