Northern Nevada continues to grow as a technology hub, with high-tech manufacturing coming to the area and more engineering courses to help train people for the workforce. One of those companies is NevadaNano. The Sparks business is developing a sensor that can detect hazardous materials in the air that could be explosive, toxic or could cause cancer. Digital Scent connects to the internet and is used to detect and measure gases.
"A device that can be put almost anywhere in the world, connect to the internet and it can tell you what's going on with the air that you breathe or the environment that you're working in," Mark Brandemuehl, Senior VP Sales and Marketing for NevadaNano said.
The technology was developed and licensed at the University of Nevada, Reno. Jesse Adams is a NevadaNano co-founder who led the University-based research. About 40 people work for the company and 12 of its 20 engineers are graduates of UNR.
"We want to keep the best and brightest here, right?" Ellen Purpus, Assistant Vice President for Enterprise and Innovation at the University of Nevada said. "They have jobs, good-paying jobs, advancing the economy, keep the economy going, keep the entrepreneurial spirit going."
Digital Scent could be used in areas where explosive gases could be present, like in the oil and gas industry.Â
"We can deploy hundreds of these sensors over say a pipeline or throughout a factory and get real-time data of what's happening inside and outside," Christopher Dudley, Senior Engineer for NevadaNano said.
It could also keep homes safe from things like natural gas leaks, carbon monoxide or cancer-causing chemicals.
"They don't have a short-term impact on your health but they can have a long-term impact on your health, and this can tell you that your home, you need to take action to fix that problem," Brandemuehl said.
Studies show that 6.5 million people die from air pollution each year. Brandemuehl says this device could cut that level, allowing people to fix the problem before it becomes a serious threat.
"This can help save lives," Brandemuehl said. "We can detect what's in the air that you're breathing at home or outdoors and we can give you a warning if the air is unsafe."
NevadaNano originally planned to use the technology for things like anti-terrorism, detecting explosives in things like shipping containers. It has moved away from that and more into home and industrial uses. It also has a contract with the Army to use the sensors on drones.
"The drone can search an area and try to find a plume of chemicals that have either been accidentally released or deliberately released," Brandemuehl said.
Once that is detected, the information is used to warn first responders or military personnel of where the danger is.
$18 million of new funding is also helping to speed up the process to make these sensors available.
"$18 million in new funding is going to help us accelerate bringing our product to market," Brandemuehl said. "It puts us in a good position to become a successful company."
"Eventually, there's going to be a product on the market that's actually going to help some people," Purpus said. Â Â
