Taza Aya wearable air curtain provides outstanding breathing protection in independent lab tests

Ann Arbor, MI

June 25, 2024

Taza Aya, a device company advancing the next generation of personal respiratory protection solutions, today announced the results of the first phase of third-party testing designed to independently evaluate its wearable air curtain feature. The curved curtain of air flows downward a few inches in front of the face, issuing from specially designed nozzles mounted along the edge of the brim of a hardhat or visor.

Taza Aya contracted ARE Labs (Overland Park, KS) to conduct performance testing, which involved paired instrumented and ventilated mannequins facing each other, one of the mannequins wearing the air curtain device.   Two measures of performance were assessed: (1) the difference in aerosol concentrations on either side of the air curtain, and (2) the reduction in inhaled viral aerosols when the air curtain was applied in comparison to the number inhaled during a control condition without the air curtain applied.

Summary findings from the study include:

• Exceptionally High Performance: Number of inhaled viral aerosols directed at the mannequin wearing the air curtain was reduced by 99.86% when aimed at its mouth.  This translates into only 14 viral aerosols inhaled while wearing the air curtain for every 10,000 viral aerosols that would have been inhaled without the air curtain.
• Uniform Protection: Exceptional protection is maintained over the entire face of the mannequin when wearing the air curtain.  Protection from aerosols aimed at the eyes (99.35%) and the chin (99.85%) of the mannequin wearing the air curtain was nearly equivalent to the protection attained when aerosols were aimed at its mouth (99.86%).
• Protects the Wearer and Those Around Them: Protection was excellent even for the mannequin not wearing the air curtain.  Number of inhaled aerosols by a passive bystander was reduced by 97.7% and 98.3% when the air curtain was worn by the mannequin that was “sick”.

The wearable air curtain provides levels of performance that far exceed those provided by informal and homemade cloth face coverings worn by many.  In a study by Pan, Harb, Lin, and Marr (2021) of different face masks and their performance, cloth face coverings only reduced inhaled aerosols by 20-70% , i.e., for every 10,000 viral aerosols that otherwise would be inhaled, wearing a cloth face covering would reduce the number to 8,000 to 3,000. 

With the Taza Aya air curtain, the user’s face remains completely open and unobstructed, permitting the user to eat or drink, share facial expressions, and engage in clear communication, all while providing exceptionally high levels of respiratory protection.  Beyond convenience and comfort, the air curtain does not require a tight fit to the face, providing the same level of protection for both children and adults, faces that are bearded or clean-shaven, and facial features to which it can be difficult to establish a tight fit (e.g., bridge of the nose).

“These phenomenal results from third-party testing underpin the overall value offered by the wearable air curtain to industrial workers, particularly those working in cold environments that would promote fogging of safety glasses or goggles, or hot, humid environments where wearing a cloth face covering might increase the risk of heat exhaustion,” said Herek Clack, chief scientific officer and co-founder of Taza Aya.

“We are of course thrilled with these exceptional results that will, hopefully, help the world realize the tremendous unrealized opportunities for moving beyond the everyday conceptions of respiratory protection,” said Alberto Elli, CEO of Taza Aya. “As this high level of performance becomes more widely recognized, we expect a tremendous boost to our launch of the worker wearable protective device in 2025.”

For more information, please visit www.taza-aya.com or contact info@taza-aya.com.

Media Contact:

Name: Alberto Elli, CEO

Email: alberto@taza-aya.com

Phone: 908.405.3489