Circulating air in planes might be even more disgusting than previously imagined -- but one teenager has an idea for how to make it cleaner.
Seventeen-year-old Raymond Wang used computer simulation to show the world just how gross air travel can be in his recent TED Talk.
"We have this mixing airflow pattern," he said. "So if someone were to actually sneeze, that air would get swirled around multiple times before it even has a chance to go out through the filter."
Wang says his patent-pending system, called the Global Inlet Director, could transform a plane into a pathogen-expulsing machine overnight -- and supposedly for less than $1,000.
"With this, we're able to reduce pathogen transmission by about 55 times, and increase fresh-air inhalation by about 190%," Wang said.
The apparatus disrupts a plane's typical airflow to create "personalized breathing zones" for each passenger. The new airflow keeps germs relatively quarantined until they are filtered out.
Watch Wang's demonstration above. If you've never imagined a sneeze as a giant, blue gelatinous blob, you're in for a real treat.
"In the past, the SARS epidemic actually cost the world about $40 billion," Wang said. "And in the future, a big disease outbreak could actually cost the world in excess of $3 trillion." Wang hopes his design will be used as a cost-effective way to combat global epidemics like SARS, bird flu and Ebola.
Until then, just keep hand sanitizer by your side.