Wearable air-quality sensors aim to promote breathable air

A COLOURFUL keychain bobble that's designed to monitor the air you breathe was recently unveiled by a team from the University of Berkeley in California.
Dubbed Clarity, it's the brainchild of team leader David Lu, who's determined to take action to fight air pollution, inspired by the hazardous conditions in China.
His team's gadget gauges the quality of the air in the home and car as well as the outdoors. It measures particle size, temperature and humidity, in addition to the next generation of volatile organic compounds and that of nitrogen dioxide and ammonia, common dangerous pollutants.
Despite its dirty job, it's chic, practical and comes in three pretty colors.
Clarity is part of a growing trend: In the same spirit of collaboration necessary for recycling and keeping public areas tidy, products are emerging that allow people to work together to understand air pollution and take part in the effort to clean it up.
Products such as Clarity, AirBeam and Air Quality Egg crowd-source information on air pollution from their customers – who are happy to help – to gather statistics that help in the lobbying process for cleaner air.
Air Quality Egg is among the oldest of such products, having completed its Kickstarter campaign in 2012, shattering its goal of US$39,000 and earning a whopping US$144,592. Well over 1,000 public and mapped "eggs" can now be found across the globe; their location is visible on a map although users remain anonymous.
An Air Quality Egg can be purchased for US$185.
AirBeam's Kickstarter campaign ended Wednesday with the start-up earning US$55,833, almost US$6,000 more than its original goal of US$50,000.
Owning the palm-sized gadget allows users to participate in "AirCasting," the gathering of data that helps environmentalists get their point across when talking to policy makers.
Like Clarity and Air Quality Egg, it's not without benefit for individuals, who can get an idea of pollution levels using the corresponding app, which shares the data gathered from all users.
Knowing where the clean air is can help commuters, runners, cyclists and dog walkers alike to plan their routes accordingly.
The app can be downloaded for free for Android users and the wearable can be pre-ordered for US$199 with delivery expected in May. Since the Kickstarter campaign has ended, potential customers are asked to place pre-orders by comtacting the company.
Clarity is not yet taking pre-orders and has not revealed pricing information, but interested parties are invited to join their waiting list. – AFP Relaxnews