AQUAL

AQUAL, an IoT device, works as a smart detector, keeping families from harmful chemicals coming from the contaminated air-conditioner.

It is a collaborative project between LG and Design Factory Korea.

PROJECT DURATION

Aug – Oct 2015 

Category

Product Design
App · Web

Responsibilities

User Research
UX · UI Design
Product Design

Collaborated With

Soyung Lim (Designer)
Junhwan Byun (Engineer) 
YeaJin Park (Researcher)
Eunseo Moon (Marketer)

Tools

Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator
Rhino

01. Problem statement

The number of diseases emerging due to contaminated air conditioners is steadily increasing, the number of death reaching 2,800,000 death per year
(World Health Organization)

The contamination of the air conditioner occurs immediately on installation.
In the process of pollutants, as fine dust gets into the AC through the filter, moisture level increases with odor as it blends with various pollutants.

Indoor air quality, where we spend 80~90 percent of a day, is contaminated more than 100 times than that of outdoor.

Indoor has more than 1000 times of possibilities of developing the lung transfer coefficient of the pollutant than outdoor.

Among 7000 child patients visiting the biggest children’s hospital over a day in January 2013, the majority of them were due to respiratory disease.

02. Solution

03. Research

INSIGHTS

  • Households showed low understandings of the cleansing cycle and method due to its complexity, making it hard for general people to follow.

  • Most households expressed demand on checking the quality of air coming out from their air-conditioner.

04. Design

AQUAL –  Monitoring device

KEY COMPONENTS
  • Fine particle sensor
  • Bluetooth sensor
  • IR sensor
  • Circular LED
  • Arduino UNO
Specification
  • Sanitary control
  • Notification on cleansing
  • Interlock with app

AQUAL –  App

AQUAL application gets information from the product and guide user to keep track of their air conditioner.

AQUAL –  Brand identity

05. Prototype 

Aqual consisted of an IR sensor that turns on with air-conditioner. Light in circular LED rotates until it measures and compares the air quality.
Using Bluetooth, the measured result is sent to the application.

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