How sensing solutions help to fight against the spread of COVID-19


Viral infection
The major transmission pathway for viral infection is via the exhalation of human breath. The higher the viral concentration, the higher is the risk and impact of an infection.

BME680 sensor
The BME680 sensor has been developed to detect exhaled human breath. It measures the concentration of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and outputs an index of air quality (IAQ).

Indoor ventilation
The BME680 sensor information can be used to effectively regulate indoor ventilation, which reduces the risk of viral transmission, whilst improving comfort at the same time.



COVID-19 quickly became a worldwide pandemic because of the virus's ability to easily spread from person to person [1]: when people infected with COVID-19 talk, sing, or just simply breathe, the aerosols in their exhaled breath carry the virus. If other people inhale these aerosols in a sufficiently high dose, they may become infected.
To reduce the risk of infection, it is important to keep the indoor concentration of exhaled breath as low as possible. This means: rooms need to be ventilated whenever the concentration of exhaled air increases significantly and to ventilate them correctly.
The challenge is: how to determine when and for how long to ventilate a room? This is exactly where air quality sensors, such as the BME680 sensor, come into the picture.
Advantages of the BME680
Ultra-small: all in 3 x 3 x 0.9 mm³
It is the world’s smallest & most cost-efficient solution to measure all important parameters for indoor air quality: temperature, pressure, humidity & gas sensing elements are combined with an IC in one tiny package.
It directly detects organic compounds
VOC sensors directly detect nearly all organic compounds. Aerosols and even viruses are in fact organic compounds.
Generally, the impact on human well-being depends on the dose and the chemical reactivity of chemical compounds. The higher the dose and/or the chemical reactivity of chemical compounds, the greater the potential impact on human health and well-being.
Good air quality counts
It is not only an improvement with respect to COVID-19. Good air quality is a general improvement for well-being and comfort in our daily life: in your home, in your office and in public buildings.
Gas sensors
The BME680 and BME688 gas sensors are highly integrated four-in-one environmental sensors combining barometric pressure, ambient temperature, relative humidity and gas measurement in one small package.