Volatile Aerosol-Level Yield Recognition and Immediate Evaluation (VALYRIE)

Military personnel face increasing risks from aerosolized chemical and biological threats—including fentanyl analogs, spore-forming bacteria, and protein toxins—that are potent at low doses, hard to detect visually, and persist in the environment. Current field sensors often lack the speed, sensitivity, or portability needed for early warning in operational settings. To fill this gap, we are developing Project VALYRIE—a handheld (<2 lbs), rapid electrochemical sensor platform designed to detect aerosolized threats within 30 seconds. VALYRIE leverages novel ionic liquid (IL) capture layers integrated with AI/ML-driven signal processing to provide fast, specific identification of chemical and biological hazards at sub-lethal concentrations. The core sensor uses a dual-layer electrode: capture agents like aptamers or peptides immobilized on screen-printed carbon electrodes are overlaid with an IL phase that absorbs aerosols and preconcentrates targets. Voltammetric scans generate complex electrochemical fingerprints, which embedded machine learning models decode in real time to distinguish true threats from background noise. Phase I focuses on optimizing IL formulations (liquid, gel, polymer) on commercial electrodes and developing classifiers (PCA-SVM, random forests, CNNs) to interpret signals from targets including aerosolized fentanyl, Bacillus subtilis spores, and protein toxins. We will validate detection limits, repeatability, and model accuracy while characterizing tradeoffs to guide hardware integration. Phase II will deliver a ruggedized, multi-threat prototype with rapid, on-device analysis, designed for deployment in austere environments such as forward operating bases and pre-mission screening. VALYRIE’s modular, low-power design offers a breakthrough in real-time aerosol threat detection, enabling proactive protection for military and homeland security users.