Smartphone accessory measures air quality and UV light

A start-up called TZOA has developed a smartphone accessory that can measure air quality and make suggestions based on that. In addition to particulate matter, the device also measures UV radiation and humidity.

The company is trying to get the TZOA accessory of the same name to market through funding with a Kickstarter campaign. According to the makers, the device can monitor air quality by measuring how many harmful particles there are in the air. This concerns particulate matter metaerodynamic diameters smaller than 2.5 micrometers and smaller than 10 micrometers. The amount of pollen in the air is also measured. Suggestions are given on the basis of the measurements: for example, it is recommended to open a window if a fireplace is used indoors and there is too little ventilation due to the particulate matter concentration.

Users can see on the map what the air quality is in their area. The data of other TZOA users is used for this. The map shows where the best and worst air quality is.

In addition to measuring air quality, TZOA also measures UV light. This also warns if the user is exposed to too strong radiation. Incidentally, the accessory also has sensors on board to measure the humidity and temperature. TZOA can be connected to a smartphone, so that the measurements can be easily read. The user also receives notifications via the smartphone. The connection is established via bluetooth. There is support for Android and iOS.

The start-up claims to have been testing prototypes in the past year. With the Kickstarter campaign, the company hopes to raise 110,000 Canadian dollars. Converted that is about 77,000 euros. As an early bird, a TZOA costs about 95 euros, while without this discount about 105 euros has to be deposited. The devices will be delivered in August.