Aura - Wearable Air Quality Device
University Project
Third Year. Major Project. 8 Months.
Aura is your new personal air quality sensor that monitors your surroundings and the quality of the air you breathe. Aura utilises its detailed community-sourced maps and active personal data displayed on the companion app, to provide recommendations tailored to you and your activities.
Big features. Small size.
Measures TVOC’s, Pressure, Temperature and Humidity.
Small form factor for wearing whenever, wherever.
Magnetic array for accessories with Qi wireless charging.
Community sourced data maps out exposure levels in your city.
Style it how you want!
Choose from Silver, Gold and Space Grey all made from 100% recycled aluminium with a matching glass front.
Anywhere. All the time.
A strong magnetic array hidden behind the back glass allows for a multitude of wearing methods. Some of these include a necklace, badge and vegan leather keyring case.
Aura is designed to monitor your surroundings and better your health through informative data all while remaining completely unobtrusive. It really is as easy as connecting to a smartphone, going about your day and then reading the data in the app. Just like that!
The Problem
> Around 91% of the world’s population lives in places where air quality levels exceed WHO limits.
> Pollution and particulate matter released from sources such as vehicles, power generation and residential energy used for things such as cooking and heating, are threatening lives.
> 4.2 million deaths occur as a result of exposure to outdoor air pollution
> Air quality is the single biggest environmental threat to human health.
Ideation.
Inspiration was taken heavily from naturally formed shapes and existing examples of devices using the same design language. Overall this helped to guide the device design into an area that felt familiar and natural to the user, giving them the feeling that the device is used for a clean and healthy lifestyle.
Design Development
Due to the scale and way the device is worn, ergonomics became even more crucial. Around 40 variations of the same design varying in physical scale and placement and shaping of features were printed, all intending to visualise and prototype sketched ideas allowing for extensive user testing.
Extensive user testing was carried out at each stage of the design process. Whenever multiple design decisions had been made the same group of individuals were brought in to assess the direction and the general comments taken on board for the next stage of the process.
Design for manufacture
Brushed aluminium casing, synthetic sapphire glass, magnetic array, Qi charge coil, Bosch BME680 environmental sensor, Polymer Li-Ion rechargeable battery 400mAh.
Scale CAD models were produced as part of the final design with intention of printing to show accurate scale and proportion.
Extensive thought and research were put into selecting components that would not only work but would also fit the form factor specified by the design.
Prototype
In order to showcase the design and prove the concept, I developed a working air quality sensor using a Raspberry Pi flashed with a Balena application and a Bosch BME680 breakout board.
Click HERE to view the dashboard of the working prototype.
Companion App
The companion app is your home for all data gathered by Aura. Here you can log in to see up to date information on levels for each environmental factor being monitored, in a friendly UX/UI focused layout. (Click here for Demo)
The Balena dashboard poses as an example of the way the data is stored. Information gathered by the device would be sent to a central server for cloud storage. This data will then be recorded and converted into a readable source before being encrypted and pushed directly back to the companion app and local governments for viewing recommendations on ways to improve exposure.
The Homepage of the App is your central hub for everything Aura! Here you can view the community-sourced maps to ensure you’re only breathing the cleanest of air, check information on your device and make sure everything is up to date and working as it should, sync up your profile to your other health apps like Apple Health and most importantly view your exposure level dashboard, equipped with top tips and suggestions to help you breathe and live better!
