Gentex Corp. of Zeeland, Michigan, has purchased University of Utah startup Vaporsens, which was founded by the university’s Professor Ling Zang with assistance from the Partners for Innovation, Ventures, Outreach & Technology (PIVOT) Center at the school. Vaporsens develops nanofiber sensing technology capable of detecting a wide variety of chemicals, including explosives, drugs, volatile organic compounds, toxic industrial chemicals, amines and more, with widespread application in many industries.
Gentex is a long-time supplier of electro-optical products for the global automotive, aerospace and fire protection industries. It’s best known for supplying nearly every major automaker with connected-car technologies and advanced electronic features that optimize driver vision and enhance driving safety.
The core of Vaporsens’ chemical sensor technology is a net of nanofibers approximately 1,000 times smaller than a human hair. Their porous structure allows them to absorb targeted molecules from sampled gas and identify them via changes in their electrical resistance. The technology allows for the rapid detection of target chemicals with high sensitivity in the parts per billion and parts per trillion ranges.
“Our new Vaporsens technology can be used in a wide variety of markets and industries, with potential applications for automotive, aerospace, agriculture, chemical manufacturing, military and first responders, worker safety, food and beverage processing and medical — anywhere chemical sensing is needed,” said Neil Boehm, Gentex’s chief technology officer.
Gentex is no stranger to sensing technology. The company has over 40 years of experience in the commercial fire protection industry, where it pioneered the photoelectric smoke detector, which uses light to “see” smoke particles. The company is currently working with an autonomous vehicle manufacturer on a derivative of this technology to introduce the first smoke detector designed to detect smoke and vapor within the vehicle environment. The system consists of a sensing unit placed within the vehicle’s ductwork where it continuously samples the air quality. Once smoke or vapor is detected, the vehicle operator could be notified, the vehicle flagged for cleaning and the offending passenger assessed a fine.
“Vaporsens is the perfect complement to our existing smoke detection technology,” said Boehm. “By combining our smoke and chemical detection technologies we can offer complete, wholistic sensing for the automotive industry and other key markets. In autonomous vehicles, these units will become increasingly important to vehicle operators in order to keep passengers safe and vehicles clean.”