Shedding light on air quality

This lamp informs my anosmic and asthmatic partner of the air quality in our apartment by focusing on real-time & user-friendly visual feedback ^.^

INTRODUCTION & CONTEXT

Indoor air quality is a vital aspect of overall health and well-being, as people spend a significant amount of time within indoor spaces such as homes and workplaces. Unlike outdoor pollution, which is often discussed and monitored, our indoor air quality remains relatively overlooked and varies from place to place.

This project shares common themes and objectives with my previous project “An (all-time) Glow.” Both projects focus on understanding the impact of human activities on the built environment and examine different types of pollution that often go unnoticed.  While “An (all-time) Glow” explores light and noise pollution, this project deals with indoor air pollution, a similarly pervasive and invisible problem.

Both projects aim to create an awareness of these invisible phenomena by transforming the intangible aspects of pollution into tangible, visible, or accessible forms.

RESEARCH & INTERVIEWING

To inform my understanding of the issue, I attended a workshop on the Bio-Materialization of Air Pollution to understand air quality parameters and existing solutions for monitoring air pollution. We experimented with bio technologies and bio-filtering materials for materializing air’s particulate matter, and built a DIY monitoring kit with a biodegradable filter made from Abaca.

FUTURE STEPS

In future iterations, I envision implementing the following enhancements:

Biodegradable Air Filtration Extension
Integration of a biodegradable filtration extension into the device, contributing to sustainable and efficient air purification.

Enhanced Aesthetics & Compact Design
Refinement of the device’s aesthetics and a reduction in its dimensions for seamless integration into diverse living spaces.

Web-based Application & Smart Home Connectivity
Development of a web-based application, linking the device with smart home ecosystems like Google Home and Alexa, fostering user convenience and control.

Correlation of Air Quality Readings
Establishing connections between air quality readings and specific activities/sources such as cooking, cleaning, or smoking, offering users valuable insights into the causes of indoor air pollution.