Flower Power: A fresh approach to clean air

The average person spends almost 90 percent of their day indoors. To combat the accompanying indoor air pollution – potentially five times worse than outdoor pollution – manufacturers have proffered all sorts of solutions. From the derivative (wearable filters) to the absurd (bottled clean air), the market is saturated with choice.

Taking a more innovative approach, American start-up Clairy harnessed the power of Mother Nature to create a hybrid product that filters clean air into the household, all while looking fantastic.

Released earlier this year in the form of a highly customisable ceramic flower pot, the eponymous purifier uses a built-in fan to cycle indoor air. The plants effectively act as a bio-filter, removing harmful chemicals like ammonia and benzene from interior spaces. The resulting improvement in air quality can be monitored from the Clairy app (compatible with Android and Apple iOS), which provides real-time analysis of useful metrics including temperature, humidity and pollutant levels.

Certified scientifically accurate by the University of Florence, the Clairy surpassed its original crowdfunding goal in July 2016 by a staggering 260 percent. It was also  earmarked for accelerated investment by Plug and Play Ventures during last year’s Consumer Electronics Show. The Clairy is available for preorder now via Indiegogo.