Oxygen: Innovative ventilation system created by researchers

"Our innovation will provide fresh and clean air for your house without heat loss," promises the team of researchers behind the product called Oxygen. Researchers working at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) Startup Space, which is one of the divisions of the KTU National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Centre, are developing a silent and energetically efficient ventilation device (recuperator), which retains up to 89 percent of heat.

The main Oxygen's difference from standard ventilation devices is its small size.

"The device can be mounted above the ceiling -- thus it becomes invisible and inaudible, which is especially convenient for those living in small spaces," says Žilvinas Salialionis, the Oxygen Product Manager.

He says that the start-up was founded aiming to answer the current needs of the housing market. Last year, European Union has issued the recommendations to install mechanical ventilation systems in every new-built house. In flats there are often not enough space to accommodate a large ventilation device, therefore it was decided to create a compact product, which could easily fit in very small premises.

Oxygen is not only visually appealing, but also efficient in energy saving terms. The special air filtering system retains even the smallest, invisible particles, and the F7 class filter traps pollen, therefore the system is suitable for people suffering from allergies.

The team of KTU researchers has already introduced the prototype. At the moment the final refinements of the product are being made -- it is planned to introduce Oxygen to the market in the beginning of the next year.

Among the partners of Oxygen are global suppliers of components for ventilation devices, who, according to Mr Salialionis, are extremely helpful when overcoming challenges in the field and catching up with the new industry trends. The Oxygen Production Manager himself is an economist, who has been working with smart devices for many years, therefore is proficient not only in technical terms, but also has good knowledge of managing finances of the start-up.

Oxygen's technical solutions are being provided by the team of five mechanical engineers.