Breathe box
portable minimalist air purifier
Creative brief
I want to improve indoor air quality for those who spend time indoors and reduce the amount of particulate matter that people breathe in.
my story
This project holds particular significance for me as I am a diagnosed asthmatic and had been living with mold for the first 18 years of my life. It wasn’t until I moved away for college that my asthma symptoms lessened and I was able to breathe properly.
Still, I am particularly sensitive to changes in air quality, especially as an asthmatic with a severe dust allergy.
When I moved into a small enclosed office space in the summer of 2018, I couldn’t spend more than 10 minutes in it without reliving the symptoms that I thought I had overcome years ago: shortness of breath, brain fog and the feeling that I wasn’t able to capture enough oxygen into my lungs.
Upon looking for air purifiers to solve this problem, I found that most were incredibly expensive or much too big for me to carry into my office.
This problem, however, isn’t just limited to those with respiratory illnesses...
Quantitative & qualitative
Indoor air quality is not regulated in many states and has been shown to lead to various health problems and exacerbate symptoms for people with existing health issues, namely respiratory illnesses. Only two states in the USA have regulations on indoor air quality.
Poor indoor air quality (dust mites, pet dander, particulate matter) has been known to be a trigger for asthmatics.
The EPA has listed indoor air pollution as one of the top five environmental dangers.
Poor indoor air quality has also been linked to a decline in student performance in the classroom and productivity in occupational settings.
In some areas, indoor air quality can be two to five times more polluted than outside air.
Sketches & Ideation
Prototypes & Process
