uRADMonitor means two things: IOT devices equipped with sensors for Air Quality monitoring of cities, offices and homes and a global network of such devices spread in more than 40 countries that generate uniform and comparable Environmental data so we can understand the big picture on pollution.
The entire uRADMonitor effort fights to solve pollution at global level. I am grateful for all the community support the project received so far: this includes the first successfully funded indieGogo campaign and all the uRADMonitor adopters that helped to create a global uRADMonitor network 800 units in size. Last but not least, visionary people involved in responsible corporations, helped this effort even further.
Our first IndieGogo campaign was a success
Personally I am committed to building something that matters, that has an impact on the lives of many. Air Quality has a direct impact on the health and the environment, and the first step in solving the pollution problem is to understand it. Here is where uRADMonitor steps in.
The project evolved not only in size, but also in number of products developed. The uRADMonitor A3 is probably the best uRADMonitor product developed so far, proving excellent reliability during exploitation. It is packed with an impressive number of high quality sensors that were selected after intensive research and testing:
A3 internals and one finished unit
Each A3 measures 8 air parameters with a significant effect on our health and the environment: temperature, pressure, humidity, volatile organic compounds, formaldehyde, carbon dioxide, particulate matter PM2.5 and ionising radiation. See complete specs in the technical datasheet.
Powerful dashboard allows easy data visualisation
The devices come in four variants, with the same sensors but with four different connectivity options to make installation and deployment easier in homes, offices or cities. These four connectivity variants include Ethernet, Wifi, GSM and LoRaWAN:
Four distinct A3 variants with multiple connectivity options
For this campaign I am offering the A3 with Ethernet and the A3 with Wifi, you can choose any.
Orange Romania supported the direction contoured by uRADMonitor and facilitated the deployment of almost 100x A3 units in five Romanian cities. The devices were installed in public transportation, in smart busses equipped with mobile Internet connectivity, so large city areas could be mapped easily. This resulted in valuable air quality data, with an impact on more than 3 million people living there.
Live Air Quality data from Alba Iulia using 15 uRADMonitor A3 units
The sensors in the A3 were picked to cover an extended list of dangerous pollutants, that appear both indoors and outdoors:
Particulate matter PM2.5 refers to small particles with a diameter of up to 2.5 microns. These particles can penetrate deep into the lungs , causing allergies, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases . The A3 detects them with a high quality laser scattering sensor. More details on health effects here.
Apparently things are on an ascending trend, however there’s an issue: The network distribution is not uniform, with a predominant presence in more developed countries. These places have better regulations on environmental protection. Except industry and traffic there’s an (economically) sustained effort to limit dangers to human health. On the other hand, less developed areas are lacking proper regulations and pollution control. The uRADMonitor network is practically inexistent here due reasons unrelated to awareness and will, but rather to costs.
Crop stubble being burnt in India. The smoke settles on major cities creating layers of smog
Traditional Bricks Field in Bangladesh, pumping huge amounts of PM particles
Picture named "China exports Air Pollution" to highlight the dramatic pollution situation
Just another day in traffic, India
If you think these are problems of places far away, think again! We share the planet and even more - we breathe the same air. And air travels quickly as the wind. Here's the smoke from the crop fires in India pictured from space (picture credit NASA):
Various local sources are contributing to global pollution levels and global warming
Polluted air killed half a million people in Europe prematurely in 2014, according to a report on air quality from the European Environment Agency in Copenhagen, Denmark: “Air pollution is the single largest environmental health risk in Europe,” says the EEA.
By far the biggest killer was PM2.5, the soup of tiny particles measuring 2.5 micrometres across or less. These claimed an estimated 428,000 premature deaths across the 41 European countries tracked in 2014. The main source, contributing 57 per cent of PM2.5 emissions in 2015, was domestic wood burning, especially in eastern Europe.
Air pollution is the single largest environmental health risk in Europe
“Heart disease and stroke are the most common reasons for premature death attributable to air pollution, and are responsible for 80 per cent of cases,” the EEA report says. Air pollution also contributes to other respiratory diseases and cancer, and has non-lethal impacts on diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, pregnancy and brain development in children.
It’s not enough to guard the cities of a few regions of the planet. Pollution is a global phenomenon impacting each and all of us, as air and water know no boundaries.
It is our shared responsibility to address this situation: get the single A3 perk, you support uRADMonitor and the project expands. Or instead, get the double perk with two A3 units, ones goes to you to monitor your home environment while the other is donated to a school, to a person or a location of your choice. This way you are directly making an impact on pollution - exactly where this phenomenon is more pronounced.
I made the perks in such a way so that everyone contributes: you, me, the donation beneficiary. You can see the retail cost of the A3 here. There's the Early Bird perk with 30% off (limited), the Single A3 Perk with 10% off, or the Double A3 Perk with 20% off. These discounts are uRADMonitor's contribution beyond the production itself, to support those in need, with your help.
During the previous successful Indiegogo campaign I learned that production can be difficult, especially when there are 3 different products on the roll. I wanted to simplify things and did my homework before starting this campaign. The A3 is now at its 5th iteration. This means I refined it for the best possible hardware. Although a new product, the production line is already in place to supply a high volume of units to meet the demand:
Production batch of uRADMonitor A3 units ready to ship
The production is split between Romania and China for PCBs, sensors, assembly, testing or various components. I went for outsourcing some of the manufacturing parts so I can delegate the more time consuming work and be able to focus on the project direction. I do all R&D, product development, software development, backend development in Romania. Delegating parts of the manufacturing to China helps to reduce costs and it was a key element to get this project this far.
First batch. Preparing for some intense work
Lots of uRADMonitor A3 units before shipping
The units can either be delivered from Romania, Europe (for European customers either provide a valid VATID or add 19% for Romanian VAT) or directly from the production line in China (no other tax added, you would pay customs fee on import if any):
Shipping high volume uRADMonitor units from China
The main purpose of this campaign is to extend coverage in places with pollution issues. Important here is the double perk, that gets you one A3 unit, while the other is donated to someone commonly agreed. There are more then 3000 requests for uRADMonitor units from places all over the world. I will discuss with the backers individually where the donations should go. The sponsor and the beneficiary should stay in contact - my plan is to structure this communication properly via the uRADMonitor forum or some other similar way. Your suggestions will be very useful here.
When backing your perks, please indicate the A3 type you are interested in (Ethernet or Wifi) based on how is easier for you to connect it.
Everything is in place so the production will follow immediately after the campaign ends. March 2018 is reserved for the organisational details, identifying the best destination for the donated units. Right after all units will be delivered, according to the following timeline:
"Uniform Data - Uniform Rights" uRADMonitor A3 campaign schedule
For the previous indieGogo campaign I invested unforeseen time and effort to push the deliverables up to the end, so the project could grow to return something useful to the global community. With proven dedication, I trust that I can rely on the indieGogo community to solve one of the greatest challenges impacting us, our families, our world. I want to conclude by showing my gratitude for your support so far: thank you!
Let's deploy 100x more A3 units together!
Me, after soldering and assembling a large batch of A3 units