#UnmaskMyCity Project uses LEDs to Visually Indicate Surrounding Air Pollution Levels

Greg McNevin – of light painting radiation acclaim – is back with a new project aimed at highlighting a city’s localized pollution levels visually with colored LEDs inside a recognizable facemask. The project is titled Unmask My City — the more problematic the pollution, the more prevalent the masks where you live.

When it comes to health and air pollution, masks are a common symbol.

However, masks are an ineffective solution to protecting public health from air pollution. People often wear surgical masks (like those worn by doctors) to protect themselves from polluted air, but these masks do not create a seal around the mouth and so allow dirty air to be breathed in from the sides. People who wear the more expensive and properly fitting N95 variety of mask (known as respirators) are better protected, however these masks make breathing more difficult and therefore may not be recommended for people with respiratory disease.

To highlight the personal risks posed by air pollution, Unmask My City has developed a special LED light mask that changes colour according to live air pollution measurements. Using an AirBeam air quality monitor and AirCasting software we can map PM2.5 particulate pollution, and show how good or bad the air is in real time as the data streams to our light mask.

The masks themselves display one of four colors to indicate pollution levels: green, yellow, orange, or red. The colors are based on AQICN.

Watch the video below to see more inspiration behind the project and checkout their website here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQEelMjaqPU

[via LED Inside]

Additional reading:

Biohacking: Smart Mask for Air Quality Tracking

Biohack: Build a Mask that Displays Breath Stats


Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7:30pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat and our Discord!

Join us every Wednesday night at 8pm ET for Ask an Engineer!

Join over 38,000+ makers on Adafruit’s Discord channels and be part of the community! http://adafru.it/discord

CircuitPython – The easiest way to program microcontrollers – CircuitPython.org


New Products – Adafruit Industries – Makers, hackers, artists, designers and engineers! — New Products 11/15/2024 Featuring Adafruit bq25185 USB / DC / Solar Charger with 3.3V Buck Board! (Video)

Python for Microcontrollers – Adafruit Daily — Python on Microcontrollers Newsletter: A New Arduino MicroPython Package Manager, How-Tos and Much More! #CircuitPython #Python #micropython @ThePSF @Raspberry_Pi

EYE on NPI – Adafruit Daily — EYE on NPI Maxim’s Himalaya uSLIC Step-Down Power Module #EyeOnNPI @maximintegrated @digikey

Adafruit IoT Monthly — The 2024 Recap Issue!

Maker Business – Adafruit Daily — Apple to build another chip at TSMC Arizona

Electronics – Adafruit Daily — SMT Tip – Stop moving around!

Get the only spam-free daily newsletter about wearables, running a "maker business", electronic tips and more! Subscribe at AdafruitDaily.com !


No Comments

No comments yet.

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.