YouSense, one of CHEST’s Call 3 winners, are creating electronic devices to measure the concentration of Particulate Matter (PM10) in the air, and communicate the data in real-time to a web portal. This open-source kit will allow citizens to learn about the quality of the air they breathe and share the data.
During the first 6-months, the functional and non-functional requirements to produce an enhanced version of the YouSense platform were collected, which included a user study. The design and the development of 3 hardware prototypes (Bluetooth, Ethernet/Wi-Fi and GSM versions), 2 smartphone apps (Android and IoS) and a web portal has neared completion. The Android app is now available on Google Play, with the iOS app scheduled for release in April 2016.
The YouSense hardware prototypes developed are the “Mini”, “Fixed” and “Mobile”. The Mini is designed to measure air pollution values using a smartphone via iOS or Android apps. YouSense’s Fixed device is for measuring air pollution values for indoor or outdoor places with a fixed Ethernet connection, whilst their Mobile device is GPS/GPRS based and for use on the move, for example on a bike or in a car.
These images and photos below show how the ideas have been transformed into prototypes.
Here is a photo of all 3 devices:
The next phase of the project is devoted to the development of 30 YouSense hardware devices (10 Bluetooth, 10 Wi-Fi and 10 GSM). It will involve a number of tasks, including the design and development of the YouSense PCB (printed circuit board), assembling of electronic components, electronic tuning of devices, calibration, distribution to user communities and capturing feedback from them and final refinements where required.
To learn more about YouSense, you can visit their new website: http://www.yousense.eu
You can also follow them on Twitter: @yousenseu