Biomimicry Design
A biotech desktop air-filtering device that sustainably increases air quality & productivity.
Client: School Project
Role: Product Design, UX/UI, Research
Time: Fall 2022
What is biomimicry?
Biomimicry inspires designers to draw on natural organisms and processes to build innovative and sustainable products.
More than 70,000 tree species exist on Earth, but their ability to turn sunlight into sustenance and naturally purify the air by converting carbon dioxide into oxygen exemplifies their few commonalities. This inspired our team to build a product just as self-sufficient and multi-functional: a solar-powered air purifier.
80 to 95%
of people’s lives are spent indoors. However, one of the top five health hazards includes indoor air pollution, as air in indoor spaces can sometimes be about 100 times more polluted than atmospheric air.
When pollution fills up a confined space for a continued time period, one’s level of productivity hangs in the balance. Harvard researchers measured a 15% decline of cognitive ability scores at 950 ppm and a 50% decline at 1,400 ppm.
Qualitative Research
Survey Responses
“I get tired the more I stay indoors compared to when I am outdoors.”
“I did not realize that high CO2 levels in my home was an issue.”
“I always get a headache after working in the small office for hours.”
“[Opening the windows is] usually convenient but not during the winter because it lowers the temperature of the room.”
Meet Alex
Our target user is a young adult student and worker who typically spends long periods of time working indoors.
They need to:
Have productive work days
Contribute to a sustainable future
Have an aesthetically pleasing home/office
Their pain points include:
Too busy to take care of plants or go outside
Thinks plastic plants look artificial
Gets headaches after working 8 hours in a small room
Annoyed with high carbon emissions in a confined space
For office workers and students who need productivity and clean breathing air, our biotech air filter is a desktop air-filtering device that sustainably increases air quality & productivity.
Designing a Self-Sufficient Plant System
“In each case, nature would provide the models: solar cells copied from leaves, steely fibers woven spider-style … and a closed-loop economy that takes its lessons from redwoods, coral reefs, and oak-hickory forests.”
— Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature by Janine M. Benyus
Inspired by its unique structure and shape, our team found the latticed stinkhorn mushroom an intriguing object in which a solar-powered air purifier can be housed.
Sketches: Outer Shell Design
Our sketches helped our team explore various shapes, forms, and materials in which to house our components. Once the level of CO2 in the air passes a threshold of 600 ppm, the air passes into a fan, through an air filter, and out the opposite side.
Circuit Prototype
Using an Arduino system, we tested a CO2 sensor to detect carbon dioxide in the air using an RGB LED to indicate high CO2 levels (green for low CO2 level, yellow for medium CO2 level, red for high CO2 level); and an OLED screen to read current CO2 levels to users.
Workshopping the Final Prototype
Beginning with a 3D model of the prototype, we identified all of the components needed to function the solar-powered air purifier:
HEPA filter to trap CO2 from the air
Built-in solar panels to create a flow of electricity that powers the air purifier
CO2 sensor to monitor and read out the current CO2 level of a room
Sturdy yet aesthetically-pleasing physical exterior
3D model of prototype indicating solar panels, filter fans, and circuit housed inside a lattice mushroom-like structure.
Laser-cut wooden structure — aesthetically-pleasing, but proved too small to house a circuit and filter fans inside.
Using metal wires and dry clay, we sculpted a durable mushroom-like skeleton with a coral-like texture. Openings serve as windows to encourage airflow and hold the fans and solar panels in place.
To hold up the monitor reading current CO2 levels, we designed and lasercut a hexagonal box structure to house the circuit and battery used to power the fans, and serve as a strong base. We began by testing on cardboard before moving on to a sturdier birchwood material.
Usability Testing
“I would definitely use something like this. It looks futuristic and aesthetically-pleasing and would be really useful for me because I can’t open windows in my room.”
After testing our prototype on potential users of our product, such as fellow NYU students, we received valuable feedback regarding the product’s overall appearance and usability.
Next Steps
Execute the filtration system within the device
Test sensor values in varying conditions
Conduct further usability testing and market reaction
Convert product into a smart home product that offers users the ability to read CO2 levels from an app
