The Capital District is quickly becoming a nanotech hub, attracting global businesses and new jobs. One of those new players hopes to act as a supporter of the manufacturing being done here and potentially improve semiconductor, nanotechnology and pharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities around the region.
HyGie-Tech USA, a Latham-based company, and its parent company HyGie-Tech SA, based in Switzerland, announced on Wednesday, May 9, the release of HG_Flow, software that can aid in high tech production.
“It’s a brand new U.S.-Swiss partnership … and technology that can track how particles in the air move, so that we can look at laboratory surgical rooms, critical infrastructure and see where particles are moving in the air,” said Bob Domenici, president and CEO of HyGie-Tech USA.
HG_Flow creates graphic models that illustrate airflow patterns inside a facility and shows where airborne contaminants might land if released. Domenici said the software is so advanced a process that would typically take days or even weeks can now be done in as little as two hours.
“(Companies) are cutting down the cost to maybe one tenth of what they used to use and do the same simulation. We can do 20 simulations at once and they can simulate variations of the rooms,” said Domenici.
Domenici said the software can be used in facilities like hospitals, where surgical rooms need to be sterile, or in areas like homeland security, basic architecture and engineering.
“Right now we’re very heavily invested in the defense industry. Homeland security companies … have contacted us and we’re meeting with them,” said Domenici. “Hospitals come to us and say ‘Help us model different sectors of the hospital better that may have a high rate of contamination. Architecture and engineering firms (want us) to model HVAC systems to save energy.”
HG_Flow is unique not only in its function but because the modeling program can be used on a laptop right in the facility it’s simulating. Simulations are typically run through a supercomputer and a 3-D view of the room is built to model how air would flow.
The U.S. arm of the European company is just about a year old and has offices on Wolf Road. The technology now being marketed domestically was created by a French scientist and has already seen great success in Europe.
“I noticed there was nothing that can, on a scientific base, assess the risk of airborne contamination,” said Philippe Le Goff, the scientist who developed HG_Flow.
Le Goff said it took years to find a formula that worked but when he finally did, he knew it was something he wanted to bring to the U.S. Whereas the software was being used primarily in the pharmaceutical and biodefense industries in Europe, Le Goff thought it had the potential to make an even larger impact in America.
“There’s much more of a place for computerized system in America as compared to Europe and a demand for such new tools and software in the states,” said Le Goff.
Domenici said he jumped on board with HyGie-Tech because he thought it fit perfectly with the region’s growing nanotechnology sector.
“I think this would be a great place to start because of all the economic development in the community, it’s just a natural fit,” said Domenici.
HyGie-Tech is not classified as nanotechnology, Domenici was quick to point out, but instead is a peek at what future technologies might pop up in the area.
“We’re not nanotechnology, we’re a new technology that goes beyond nano, so the benefit here is you’re starting to see growth of technology and other industries beyond nanotechnology,” said Domenici.
Le Goff said he’s happy with how HyGie-Tech USA has taken off and said “the outcomes … are much better” than he expected. He also said working in the U.S. has been a very different experience for him.
“It’s really a pleasure to work with something quite different. The way you work here, very rapid in development compared to what we can do in Europe, it’s impressive,” said he said.
For more information about HyGie-Tech USA or to see how it works, visit www.hygietechusa.com.
