One of the best inventions on the Internet of Things market by Plume Labs is the Flow air pollution sensor. It is a personal air quality meter or tracker which tells about the quality of air in the surrounding. With the available companion app, it shows the quality of air in different areas with the help of the map and a sensor.
The air we breathe can change from one street to another, from one park to another park, etc. We generally cannot measure the pollution or freshness level without physical senses or internal senses. We only can figure out if the air is good or not. However, Plume Labs has invented a device to measure the quality of air in the surrounding.
This portable device allows mobile Bluetooth connections to support smartphones. The physical structure with a strap design allows the user to strap in the bag, bike, and belt. The device sensors work in real-time and provide data to the connected smartphone.
Cost: $179 US
With complete measurement abilities, Flow measures different particles in the air that we breathe. Flow can measure particulate matters such as PM1, PM2.5, and PM10. It also measures Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and nitrous oxide (NO2) in air produced by exhaust gases.
The physical device has animated LEDs. A single press of a button gives information about the quality of air either indoor or outdoor. The companion app provides information to the user about the air that he/she has breathed in which time. The device gives real-time data of pollution concentration in the surrounding throughout the day.
With different abilities, one of the features is to guide the user through a safe path. This Flow uses GPS of connected phones. With inbuilt intelligence, the more the user uses the app, the better it will help guide the user towards clean air.
Flow Awards:
Flow is the recipient of prestigious industry awards, including the 2019 Red Dot Award, Product Design. The 2019 FastCo. Most Innovative Company Award and the 2017 CES Innovation Award.
Hardware:
The device itself is cool in looks. All the components tucked inside stylish Chamonix grey casing. Some firmware programs loaded into the hardware power’s sensors. Also considered as the brain of the Flow 2 Device.
Software:
Software is the apps installed on the phone, and the device acting as the gateway to all the user’s data. The software and the hardware together work in different following steps.
Some steps of work mechanism of Flow:
- Air enters the Flow Device.
- The Particulate Matter Sensors Lights up.
- The NO2 and VOCs Sensor start their thing.
- All other sensors calibrate.
- The Neural Network is activated.
- Patterns Convert into measures.
- The flow starts filtering for proper measures.
- Filtered measures turn into AQI.
- AQI receives visual treatment into the available screen.
- Data goes into the Cloud.
Specification:
Height: 6.6 inches
Width 3.3 inches
Depth: 2.6 inches
Weight: 11.4 ounces (324g)
Pollutants: Measures PM1, PM2.5, PM10, NO2, VOCs
Battery: typical daily charge then to 24-72 hours. Depending upon the idle mode
Connection: Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)
Charging: USB-C and custom Metal Contacts.
Strap: Silicon. Graphite Grey Color.
Why Flow?
It is a device to help you quantify what you breathe, understand how it impacts your health. Elegant, simple to use, accessible to a non-scientific audience, it is most of all a tool to rally users around our shared challenge of air pollution and encourage them to imagine solutions rather than endings.
Flow and its companion app help the user to understand what’s in the air. And breathe and build the best reflexes to minimize your exposure to pollution. Flow is the first and only portable sensor with comprehensive tracking capabilities. Always-on measurement gives you the minute-by-minute breakdown of your daily exposure with 24H+ battery capacity and 2.5H charging time.