BioCloud sensor to detect COVID-19 in the air

Kontrol BioCloud sensor.
Photo: Kontrol Energy

TORONTO — Kontrol Energy Corp. has launched a technology that detects the presence of COVID-19 in the air and triggers a an alert for facility managers.

The company, a provider of energy efficiency technology through IoT, Cloud and SaaS  based in Concord, Ont. describes BioCloud as an unobtrusive wall-mounted technology that would be used in facilities but also in mass transit vehicles.

Kontrol Energy said the technology has undergone extensive and independent lab testing in tandem with some of the country’s foremost experts in the field, including Dr. David Heinrichs, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at Western University.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that this technology can quickly and effectively detect an array of airborne pathogens, including the virus that causes COVID-19. Our results are absolutely conclusive,” said Heinrichs.

Gary Saunders, vice-president of Kontrol, said supply chains for the technology are already prepped to deliver tens of thousands of units monthly.

BioCloud will be manufactured in Ontario. The company can make the units at its London, Ont. facility but may have to use contract manufacturers based on volume requirements.

First orders are expected to ship in Canada and then globally.

Cost is estimated at US$12,000 per unit. The detection chamber is fully replaceable after it comes in contact with the SARS-CoV-2 virus and can be disposed of safely and replaced for continuous use.