Inspired by people who suffer from different diseases caused by poor air quality, Ali Payani, CEO & Founder of Fortment, a US-based start-up, has developed a device that, he says, can measure the quality of air and detect the harmful toxins present in it, using artificial intelligence on a real-time basis. Payani is a former resident of the UAE.

Speaking about the invention, Payani said: “For over a year, our team has conducted extensive research and development to understand the most harmful gases that affect respiratory patients. I believe that detection is not enough but analysing is important.”

Highlighting the key features of the device, Payani added: “The device can detect the most harmful gases, such as NO2 and NH3, present in indoor and outdoor air on a real-time basis. The detection is done through artificial intelligence for smart analysis. With accurate and proper algorithms, we can prevent air pollution from worsening by collecting as much data for better measures and prediction.

“Using this data, users can effectively manage their health and avoid going to polluted areas. For asthma patients, we have developed an advanced feature, Asthma+, that use the artificial intelligence algorithm to let them control and manage their situations, when they are on the move.”

Payani further added that his vision is to solve air-quality problems using technological approaches such as detecting, monitoring prediction and, possibly, even a “cleaning process in the future”.