Kintsugi Design

Using a SGP30 Air Quality sensor from Adafruit, I created a quick mockup wherein Total Volatile Organic Compound (TVOC) and equivalent carbon dioxide (eCO2) are measured.

When is the air quality “bad”? What can we trigger when air quality isn’t ideal?

If either of these exceeds ideal values (too many people in a conference room, too much smoke from fireplace or cooking, etc) then a scented air diffuser is activated, which is both a visual and olfactory cue to open a window or door, and a representation of the invisible elements in our world which affect our environment. We experimented with using Eucalyptus as an olfactory cue – scent is a powerful and underused tool in interaction design and we are keen to explore it further.

For the casing, we laser cut a kerf pattern to allow the diffuser steam to escape in a unique way. This was a first prototype and we entertained the idea of also adding light which would cast shadows on the wall in a beautiful pattern.