Wearables are often focusing on monitoring what is happening inside our bodies. But there is also a lot of interesting stuff happening around our bodies. This article focusses on environmental monitoring devices which help us to raise awareness for air pollution and other factors that might affect our health.
Wepo is a small, carbon-monoxide-sensing box that’s worn on the belt and notifies users about the quality of the air around them. The mobile app allows you to track air quality, and over time, helps you see trends in the way environment is changing. The company promises that future versions will also include nitrogen dioxide and other pollutants. The device will connect with your smartphone or smartwatch using Bluetooth. It packs a 2000mAH battery that will last around 20 hours.
Clarity is key-chain sized gadget which comes in 3 different colors. You can attach it to a bag, belt or even bike. With the accompanying app you get a real-time alert on your smartphone related to the air quality. It measures particulate matters, temperature and humidity. Future generation gadgets will also measure VOCs, Nitrogen Dioxide and Ammonia in the air. The company is hoping to make some sort of pollution map by collecting data and spreading the awareness of polluted hotspots and recommend an alternative place with cleaner air.
The next device is especially interesting for people living in highly polluted regions like China, where smog masks a part of everyday life. Wind Six is said to be the first air wearable purifier and removes the main pollutant PM 2.5 as much as 99, 9%. It is worn as a headset and filters the air which the user is inhaling. Polluted air is pulled into the purifier and sent through internal filters. With producing 3 cubes of air each hour it is impossible for a person to breathe in polluted air. With an app you can check information about air on your smartphone and monitor pollution rate every day.
Vitamin D deficiency is especially common in the winter, but with a new device called Tzoa, the wearer can see if he or she is getting enough sun throughout the day. The small box also measures other parameters like humidity, atmospheric pressure and air quality. An individual can get a look at the quality of the local air and upload the data to create a pollution map of their town.
But the sun can also be harmful to us Too much exposition to UV rays can also causes skin cancer and other skin abnormalities. June is a nice piece of jewelry for detecting UV radiation. The removable jewel on the top comes in 3 different colors and it is packed with UVA and UVB sensors. It is connected to your smartphone via Bluetooth and it notifies you when exposition to the sun has accessed a certain threshold. It also gives you recommendation on how to protect yourself from dangerous rays.
Similar device SunFriend is very simple to use gadget that also measures UV rays. Depending on your skin type it alerts you with flashing if you have spent too much time on the sun. Because it is waterproof it is very suitable for children when playing on the beach.
CliMate is measuring HUT (Humidity, UV and Temperature ) around you. It can be a wearable, attached to your shirt or backpack, or you can attach it on a metal stand and use it at home. You can also personalize it by setting your skin type and SPF you normally use and based on that, Climate alerts you when exposure is not healthy anymore. The application allows you to monitor multiple CliMates and provides you with weather alerts and tips. All the data is collected and can be displayed in different charts where users can see long-term changes in their environment.
My Lapka – Environment is a modular set of products for health conscious consumers. You can measure, collect and analyze different aspect of your environment, even food. Lapka EMF measures high or low frequency of electromagnetic fields. With Lapka Humidity you can find out the humidity and temperature of your environment. Lapka Radiation tells you if your environment contains radioactive particles and last but not least Lapka Organic measures level of nitrates in food. Just stick it to a vegetable or fruit, connect it to your iPhone and you will see if the food you are eating is really organic.
Preserving the environment is crucial for staying healthy. We believe wearables can shift people’s perception and help raise the awareness when people themselves monitor the environment and see the changes every single day.
