“At Akihabara Hackerspace, we have automated the ventilation process with CO2 monitors, a fan, AWS IoT Edukit, and IoT-related AWS Services.
Problem
Just limiting the number of guests is not enough to prevent COVID-19, so we have mandatory rules of wearing a face mask, practicing social distancing, washing hands, and disinfecting after use.
In addition to these rules, we believe that keeping the air clean is also one of the effective measures to prevent the disease. Researchers say that COVID-19 transmission risk can be reduced if the space is well ventilated [1].
How do you know if the space is well ventilated? One of the indicators is CO2. CDC recommends that indoor CO2 level is below 800ppm during pandemic conditions[2].
There are several ways to keep indoor CO2 levels low, for example, opening doors/windows regularly or keeping ventilation fans on. But they require human intervention and are not energy efficient.
Solution
This is where the automatic ventilation system comes in. What it does is to monitor CO2 levels at different spots in the hackerspace, automatically turn on/off a powerful ventilation fan depending on the measured CO2 levels, and keep the air in the space clean therefore lowering COVID-19 risk.”