Air quality monitoring has become an increasingly important concern in modern society due to the growing awareness of environmental health risks. Historically, air pollution has primarily been addressed through large-scale environmental policies and industrial regulations, but with advancements in sensor technology, there is a shift toward personal protection and indoor air quality, as we can see with an influx of products on the market. This is particularly relevant in occupational settings such as construction or industrial sites, where workers are frequently exposed to volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carbon monoxide (CO), and other harmful pollutants emitted by building materials, solvents, and confined workspaces. For this proposal, I would like to focus my product towards general contractors who deal with VOCs like paints, wood hardeners, paint strippers, and other VOC solvents. According to an NPJ study, they projected that between 36.4% and 39.7% of the global population was exposed to harmful VOC levels between 2000 and 2019 [1]. This demonstrates the scope and severity of the issue; particularly for those regularly working in industrial or semi-enclosed environments.
To solve this problem, this project proposes the development of a wearable air quality monitor,similar in form factor to a smartwatch, that can be strapped to the wrist or clipped onto clothing. It would detect key environmental factors such as VOCs, CO, temperature, and humidity, and display this information on a small OLED or LCD screen in real-time. Importantly, this device would be self-contained, requiring no smartphone connectivity for operation. The AppleWatch, for example, uses the weather app to tell you the general outdoor air quality in your town[2], but is unable to be used for indoor purposes. On the market currently, there are portable air quality monitoring devices that are small in form factor, but either still need to be hand held or need an App to function [3]. Our goal is to reduce the form factor of an air quality monitor to have it worn like a watch or have it comfortably clip on to a person's shirt or belt.