Can Wearable Devices Help Me Monitor the Environment on the Go?

With concerns about the state of the air we breathe at an all-time high, people are understandably interested in having access to information about air quality in their home, workplace and city. However, while this data has traditionally relied on a small number of sensors distributed at fixed locations throughout a locale, such an approach is now being upgraded.

The generalisations made by such fixed sensors are now being overtaken by wearable air monitors, which can be carried by citizens such as you and me, allowing a comprehensive and constantly fluctuating picture of air quality in all walks of our daily lives to be constructed.

Air Monitoring in the Home

Air monitors, measuring all sorts of criteria including contamination, humidity and temperature, have long been available on the market. More recent incarnations are “Smart”-enabled, meaning they can integrate with existing appliances in the home and make recommendations on how to achieve optimal air quality inside your home.

Indoor air quality in Asian countries is of particular interest, since many of these developing nations have been bombarded by industrial growth and do not employ such stringent environmental policies as other places.

Air Monitoring at School

Earlier this year, Mark Nieuwenhuijsen of the CITISENSE consortium undertook an interesting project which gave air monitoring and assessment equipment to 50 schoolchildren. It intended to provide an insight into the quality of air which our children (the most vulnerable in society) breathe, so that we might better take action to alleviate the inhalation of pollutants accordingly.

“We found that when [children] were traveling from home to school or back their air pollution levels were twice as high as when they were at home or school. Also, school exposure levels were higher than at home,” Nieuwenhuijsen explained. “People may use this information to organize themselves with other like-minded people to take action or go to their (local) politicians and ask that they do something about pollution.”

Air Monitoring in the Workplace

With harmful emissions often being highest in places of industrial manufacturing such as power plants or factories, it only makes sense that workers in these environments should be equipped with relevant monitoring apparatus. Sensor + Test, a UK convention for showcasing gas sensing innovation, featured innovative wearable monitors and corresponding apps which serve to provide a more comprehensive overview of the cleanliness of the air in workplaces and beyond than ever before.

Air Monitoring around the World

While all of the previous examples are invaluable contributions to safeguarding air quality on a personal and individual level, a far greater use of wearable technology could be painting a global picture of pollution.

Plume Labs, a startup company pioneered by Frenchman Romain Lacombe, aims to do just that. By collating air quality information gathered in over 150 cities around the world, Plume Labs have created an interactive global map of air quality in any given participating city at any time. Such a global picture of the air we breathe allows us to pinpoint problematic areas and perhaps inject a sense of urgency into our efforts to clean up the atmosphere.