Research

Photonics research delivers improved commercial gas sensors used in the food packaging, aerospace, personal safety systems industries

UofG photonics research developed antimonide-based non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) sensors in collaboration with Gas Sensing Solutions Ltd. The resulting new CO₂-sensor products have been strategically important to Gas Sensing Solutions, enabling the company to place their wearable and portable gas sensing products in food packaging, aerospace, personal safety systems markets. This has resulted in sales of >250,000 gas sensors in >46 countries, to customers including NASA. In addition to the commercial and economic impacts for Gas Sensing Solutions and its customers, the antimonide-based sensors are central to healthcare products including N-Tidal, the world's first personal capnometer for created for Scottish product design SME Wideblue Ltd client Cambridge Respiratory Innovations (CRiL). Over 1,000 N-Tidal devices were delivered to NHS hospitals amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The low power requirements of these CO₂ sensors led to their selection by NASA for research at the International Space Station to determine the effects of CO₂ on astronauts. This research identified that crew members develop CO2-related symptoms at lower CO2 levels than would be expected terrestrially. The Gas Sensing Solutions/UofG partnership underpins the GBP6 million MIRAGE industrial collaboration project, which has established Scotland at the forefront of the global sensors and imaging market.