TreeWiFi’s smart birdhouses measure air quality in real time and provide free Wi-Fi when pollution levels drop.
Fresh, clean air is one of the quickly diminishing commodities most city dwellers crave on a daily basis. Based in Amsterdam, TreeWiFi’s smart birdhouses let residents know about the air quality of their neighbourhood, and, if it is clean enough, they get free Wi-Fi.
Using nitrogen dioxide (NO2) sensors to measure the amount of combustion particles in the air, the birdhouses light up with LED lights to show real-time levels of pollution. When the lights go green, the air quality has improved and the network makes the free Wi-Fi available. The Wi-Fi network itself is always available for people to connect with, regardless of the air quality, but, if the local air quality is poor, instead of free Internet it gives information and tips on how to improve air quality. The sensors measure air pollution levels emitted from combustion processes within about 100 metres (109 yards).
Right now, the company is focusing on the amount of NO2 in the air, as the majority of it comes from smoke and exhaust fumes – two things that residents can easily influence. TreeWiFi plans to make the data collected available to researchers and several government departments have already expressed interest in the project due to its scope. Should a birdhouse be installed on every street in the city, a vast quantity of timely air pollution data will be available for analysis.
By installing a network of TreeWiFi birdhouses in a city, municipalities get better insights when it comes to air pollution in urban environments. The data is hyper-local, high quality and real time – and the bigger the network, the better the data. Founder Joris Lam says that, while broad data like this is readily available, a lack of localized data inspired him come up with the idea for TreeWiFi.
Dutch designer Lam said he wanted to find a simple and non-intrusive way to make air pollution visible to citizens in a way that they can understand on an emotional level, rather than looking at data and maps. Lam realized that the problem of air pollution is almost completely invisible to the average person because it cannot often be seen at street level. The simple birdhouse design is a benign response to what he sees as the age of mass surveillance and machines tracking our every move.
Lam launched his project at a critical time as it was revealed that air pollution levels in parts of Amsterdam break EU standards. The city was also given a very poor ranking for air quality by an environmental study, thanks in part to its failure to implement a low-emissions zone for private vehicles, as other European cities have done. Lam has raised enough money to assemble a team of engineers and scientists to refine the technology and reward system.
We have already seen air-purifying billboards designed by the University of Engineering and Technology in Peru, which deliver pollution-free air to the surrounding area, and Clean Road Mapper, which lets Toronto’s cyclists avoid the most polluted streets by showing them the route with the best air quality.
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Website: www.heroesandfriends.com
Contact: contact@heroesandfriends.com
Innovation name: TreeWiFi
Country: The Netherlands
Industries: Nature & sustainability / Smart cities / Transport & automotive