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A new way to see the air leaking out while someone is talking or singing could shed light on how diseases such as COVID-19 spread, and help with evaluating the effectiveness of face masks, according to a study. The novel system, described in the journal Applied Optics, paints temperature differences between exhaled breath and the surrounding air to estimate how far the breath travels. before being dispersed into the surrounding air.
According to study author Thomas Moore of Rollins College in the USA, the new method can also be used to study the details of how breath flows from the mouth while speaking or singing , which may be useful for music teaching and speech therapy. Originally developed to study airflow through musical instruments such as organ pipes, Moore said he began to paint the breath of people speaking and singing.
“I realized that by scaling up my system, I could determine how long the breath is extending and how effective masks can be. limiting the level of breathing, “he said. While most existing methods used to breathe require expensive equipment and can only image Moore said that the new design uses commercially available optical components to overcome these limitations.The new method, Moore explained, is based on the speed of the the light changes according to the temperature of the air it passes through.
Because breath is warmer than the surrounding air, the light transmitted through the exhaled air reaches the camera a little faster than light that has not passed through, which it said can be used to create images of the air . According to Moore, the approach can reveal new information that could affect how we handle speed and shelter requirements, especially when we are out and about. “The pandemic has caused a great deal of economic catastrophe for many musicians, and any information we can give them that will help them get back to work is important,” he said.