Infineon Technologies and MCI to provide air quality monitoring sensors to schools in Austria

[Villach/Innsbruck, Austria, January 11, 2022] Infineon Technologies Austria AG and MCI have supplied high-precision CO2 sensors to five higher technical schools (HTL) in Carinthia and six higher technical schools in Tyrol, Austria. The students will use them to create CO2 warning lights to illustrate the need for ventilation and thus reduce the risk of infection transmission. A total of 300 classrooms will be installed.

Indoor carbon dioxide concentration is an important indicator for judging air quality. Especially in the current epidemic environment, this value helps to curb the spread of the virus. Therefore, in the requirements of the Austrian Ministry of Education, in addition to continuous virus detection and wearing of masks, classrooms must also be ventilated regularly. But when is the right time for ventilation? To solve this problem, Infineon and MCI provide free CO2 sensor kits to 11 higher technical schools in Tyrol and Carinthia, using advanced technology to draw people's attention to the need for timely ventilation in classrooms.

Creating benefits through education and expertise

In the spirit of "learning and using", these young technical talents use Infineon's sensors to build their own air quality detection system to warn of excessively high carbon dioxide concentrations, thereby reducing the risk of virus transmission. In such a special period, it is particularly important to learn in a healthy indoor environment.

Sabine Herlitschka, CEO of Infineon Technologies Austria AG, said: “With our initiative, we want to support the technical education of young talents and create a healthy learning atmosphere in the classroom. Students and teachers are actively involved, they can combine knowledge from multiple disciplines – for example electronics, computer science to physics – and relate it to health-related topics. This encourages participation, strengthens team spirit and creates digital solutions that benefit the entire school.”

Accurate sensors measure air quality and save energy

At the heart of this CO2 sensor is an Infineon module based on XENSIV PAS technology , which measures CO2 concentrations precisely, stably and continuously. It also measures other parameters such as temperature, humidity and air pressure. As soon as a threshold is exceeded, an alarm is sounded via a CO2 warning light. According to the Austrian Ministry of the Environment, the average CO2 concentration in a classroom should not exceed 1,000 ppm (or 0.1%). Since the concentration of aerosols that spread viruses is correlated with the CO2 concentration, CO2 sensors can help ensure that people can meet in safe indoor conditions, whether in offices, schools or at home.

Andreas Altmann, President of MCI, said: "In the innovation lab "Emerging Applications Lab" run jointly with Infineon, we have created an easy-to-use system solution. It is already in use in 12 lecture halls in Innsbruck and will be installed in systems for another 50 lecture halls in the future. The CO2 value serves as an objective benchmark and allows us to supply fresh air in an energy-efficient manner. We can ventilate according to demand and avoid unnecessary energy losses, which is particularly effective in winter. We are happy to share this developer and user expertise with the school."

STEM Talent and School Network

At the school, students learn to make and program CO2 warning lights under the guidance of teachers, which will deepen their knowledge of hardware and software, create digital designs with LED and acoustic signals, control systems and extend them to IoT platforms. For this purpose, the school has set up a dedicated Developer Forum to build networks, share knowledge and develop innovative ideas. Digital technologies thus provide real added value for education and collaboration.

Smart Building Management at HTL Villach

The school team at HTL Villach has gone one step further in the application: The CO2 sensors are not only used in the classroom, but will also be integrated into the building renovation technology currently underway. In combination with the infrastructure control concept, this will enable automated and continuous data collection and evaluation throughout the school. For example, noise levels will also be measured in the future. This practical collaboration combining industry and education shows how the same STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) can be used to create intelligent solutions for cutting-edge technological topics. It thus makes a positive contribution to practice-oriented education and to the training of qualified technical experts in the region.