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AFRL explores electromagnetic energy for fighting COVID-19
April 27, 2020
Air Force Research Laboratory scientists are drawing on their academic and industrial
connections in the science and technology ecosystem to investigate the possibility of using light and
radiation to decontaminate and sterilize areas exposed to the coronavirus.
The main objective of this effort is to explore whether exposure to electromagnetic (EM) energy
can reduce the ability of the airborne coronavirus to infect. If so, the researchers believe they could use
this knowledge to better protect military medical personnel working on the front lines of the pandemic.
“The AFRL team knew we had the knowledge and experience to take on the challenge of figuring
out if directed energy sources could attack, destroy or diminish the viability of SARS-CoV-2. We all
agreed that we had to find a way to either kill or limit the capability of the virus to infect,” said Dr.
William P. Roach, Air Force Office of Scientific Research Program Officer, who manages the Laser and
Optical Physics basic research portfolio and oversees the project.
The AFRL project, “Viral Inactivation by Directed Energy Radiation (VIDER)” began on March 20
in direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic. At present, AFRL researchers from Arlington, Kirtland Air
Force Base, N.M. and Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, are conducting studies in
directed energy sources and biological experimentation and modeling in conjunction with a number of
academic and industry partners.
Specifically, scientists are exploring whether the virus can be disrupted in the aerosolized state
by exploiting a natural susceptibility of the virus to microwave frequencies. If the virus’s “resonant
frequency” in an exhaled droplet can be attacked using microwaves, scientists might be able to use that
knowledge to fine tune and create microwave systems that could impair the virus’s ability to infect.
The team is approaching the objective in multiple phases, which include environmental
modeling and testing using EM energies and exposure to viral surrogates to test the effectiveness of EM
radiation on reducing the ability of coronavirus to infect. The final stage will be testing directed energy
exposure with the live SARS-CoV-2 virus in a contained environment to validate real-world capability.
“The specifics of the radio frequency source, including size, weight, and power, will be driven by
the need to generate the types of waveforms found to be most effective in killing the coronavirus;
however, one goal would be the development of a mobile system similar in size to a human, or a little
larger, that is capable of decontaminating spaces like a hospital room or an aircraft passenger cabin," he
said. "We have chosen to work with microwaves, a small segment of the electromagnetic spectrum,
because they have been shown to induce changes in large-scale molecules like virus while suspended in
solution.”
AFRL’s contribution is in the early phases of the project, providing state-of-the-art high
performance microwave technology and the photons needed to complete tests. As the project
progresses to later phases, research will transition to career biologists who are trained and work daily
with well-established protocols for handling live pathogens.
Read more: https://www.edwards.af.mil/News/Article/2163064/afrl-scientists-investig...
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AFRL explores electromagnetic energy for fighting COVID-19

April 27, 2020

Read more: https://www.edwards.af.mil/News/Article/2163064/afrl-scientists-investig...

Apr 06, 2021

USPTO announces special Patents for Humanity COVID-19 category

Mar 31, 2021

NIST's privacy-preserving "encounter metrics" could help slow pandemic spread

Mar 31, 2021

CDC-NIH initiative brings COVID-19 self-testing to residents in two communities

Mar 31, 2021

NOAA signs data-share agreement with offshore wind energy company

Click My Favorites to review all

Legal Contact Us Subscribe to our Newsletter

Website User Agreement

Get the API

2021 © Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer

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