Tech Offers A Future Without Masks

In post-pandemic New Zealand, Kiwis are more anxious and aware of the risks posed by airborne viruses (and stagnant air) than ever before, which has led to increased demand for better control of our indoor environments.

In line with trends overseas, New Zealand-based building performance solution company Tether is positioning itself to meet the demand for better air quality.

Tether founder and CEO Brandon van Blerk said today that the launch of Tether's Airborne Index technology—a sensor-based early warning system that identifies threats from viruses and aerosol particles—had attracted unprecedented interest both locally and overseas.

The technology is an update of its popular COVID Care monitor, launched in 2021. Almost like canaries that miners carried into coal mines at the turn of the century, Tether's Airborne Index technology measures carbon dioxide (CO2) and particulate matter levels to determine insufficienct ventilation rates as an early warning system.

The real-time data is used by people such as facilities managers, teachers and building owners to accurately identify risk levels, take appropriate action and measure the impact of the actions they have taken. The data can also be viewed in real-time and remotely using a smartphone app.

"We're renaming the service Airborne Index since we felt the last name didn't capture the full power of what the software can do.

"Good ventilation doesn't just reduce the spread of COVID-19; it reduces the spread of all airborne viruses. The name Airborne index gives our product more longevity," van Blerk said.

The objective of the Airborne Index is to reduce anxiety about viruses and other particulates by providing clear insights into the health of buildings. By using the device, people can take the best actions immediately by, for example, opening windows, turning on air ventilation or even evacuating the room until a better air balance is restored.

"Protection from viruses is just one aspect of what Airborne Index does. But it's much more than that.

"High levels of CO2 and particulates can have a major impact on cognitive function, and a well-ventilated environment will increase productivity and overall wellbeing," van Blerk said.

The name Airborne Index is partially a result of van Blerk's successful visit to the London Tech Week 2022 at the invitation of the British Consulate.

The trip also put Tether in front of major UK government ministries and dozens of housing companies across the country. Van Blerk said the UK Government officials were incredibly excited to discuss how solutions like Airborne Index could help facilitate the British Government's recent upgrade of its building regulations.

"As of June, this year, every commercial building in the UK that is over a specific size must install CO2 monitors for the purpose of understanding ventilation rates. Upgrading the building regulations like this is going for the jugular. The UK Government is putting a lot of effort into improving the health of its buildings.”

Van Blerk offerered these tips drawn from his visit to the UK:

1. Tech offers a future without masks

New Zealand's efforts to combat COVID-19 primarily focused on mask-wearing and social distancing. The UK has gone the other way, van Blerk said.

"With its updates to the building regulations, the UK is shouldering the responsibility to improve the indoor air quality and standards of all its buildings. It has chosen a fence at the top of the cliff approach. New Zealand could learn a lot from this," van Blerk said.
 

2. Red tape no answer

The UK government's approach to focus on the health of its homes is "lightyears" ahead of New Zealand's strategy, which is still stuck on red tape and regulatory obstacles.
 

"We talk a big game in New Zealand, but we don't play a big game. The UK government understands better how monitoring building performance will mean people can be confident the buildings they occupy won't be part of a super-spreader event," he said.

3. Cliques stifling innovation

Van Blerk said he would like to see less 'protecting of territory' from businesses in New Zealand and more focus on solving problems.

"People have their suppliers. They get comfortable with them; it's easy, it’s matey, and innovation and competition get stifled. To create healthy, productive homes and workplaces for people, we need to focus more on innovation and less on long-established cliques.”

Tether is a New Zealand-based tech company founded in 2018 to solve building performance problems and thereby improve people's health, reduce cost and create a sustainable future through a range of software and hardware products designed, developed, and manufactured from the ground up in New Zealand. The company's proof-of-performance solutions enable data-driven insights through modelling, monitoring and data analysis.

For more information visit: https://www.tether.co.nz/

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