Developed by Oklahoma State University-affiliated startup Airotect, the XCel+ Dosimeter Badge is roughly the size and shape of a credit card, and is clipped to the wearer's shirt or jacket not unlike a security pass. Plans call for future versions to take the form of a pen-like device that's placed in a shirt pocket, or a fabric patch that's stitched onto clothing.

In its current form, the XCel+ contains three air-exposed tubes that are filled with a porous type of silica called OSU-6. Utilizing a type of electric attraction known as the van der Waals force, this material binds airborne VOC (volatile organic compound) molecules within its pores.

Because the bonds are physical as opposed to chemical, OSU-6 is claimed to "latch onto" a much wider range of VOCs than traditional wearable sensing technologies. Additionally, the tight curvature of its pores reportedly enhances the van der Waals force, allowing the material to form significantly tighter bonds than other materials.