Super Eco

Photo credit: polandeze, flickr

How do you know how good the air you're breathing is? The answer: you don't, at least not always. The smell test (premise: if air smells bad, it is bad) isn't always an indicator. Some things that make air unhealthy to breathe have no odor at all (and other things smell bad but aren't harmful, like overcooked cabbage which just tastes bad). So the AirScale device is intriguing. Clip it on you or near you somewhere, and it turns red, white or green depending on air quality. Can it really be that simple?

Designed by Yasuhiro Akama, the AirScale continually scans the air around it and rates it red, green or white depending on air quality. Green means clean. Red means, well, time to move away from that cigar-smoking guy next to you, or away from that factory smokestack you're standing on top of, or away from that bucket of phthalates you're holding. We're wondering whether the AirScale also works on things like your kid's diaper ("Go see daddy, honey!") at crucial times. It could be useful for all manner of things, or places you might find yourself in (don't bother taking it onto a plane; just hold your breath and forget you're breathing the same air as 150 other people). Red air at work? It must be time to go home early!

Does it work? We're not sure. But the idea is interesting isn't it?

(For an awkward yet charming version of additional information about the AirScale, click here.  No word on price or availability.)