Designer develops smog “vacuum cleaner” to make cities breathable

Nov 18, 2013
Designer develops smog “vacuum cleaner” to make cities breathable

Smog is a concern for all big cities, with some being plagued with it on a continual basis, both decreasing the quality of life for residents and posing a health risk. Dutch designer Daan Roosegaarde has decided to tackle this program and designed an "electronic vacuum cleaner" that eliminates the pollution. Presently, the designer is in talks with Beijing government to have the technology installed in a city park.

Interestingly enough, the technology creates "holes" of breathable air, and works via copepr coils that are buried. These coils generate an electrostatic field that pulls in the smog, leaving clean air above it. The designer says that the holes measure in between 50 and 60 meters, and that "you can see the sun again." The technology essentially purifies the air in limited areas.

A prototype of the technology was created in conjunction with the University of Delft, and with it the workers were able to generate a 1-meter smog-free hole in a 5 x 5 meter room. The idea is that this technology will be deployed on a grander level in larger public spaces to cause the same effect. The coils, says the designer, are safe and buried within the ground, and the smog particles can basically be collected and processed.

Said Roosegaarde in an interview: "It's a similar principle to if you have a statically charged balloon that attracts your hair. If you apply that to smog, to create fields of static electricity of ions, which literally attract or magnetise the smog so it drops down so you can clean it, like an electronic vacuum cleaner." He got the idea while staying in a hotel in Beijing.

VIA: Web Urbanist

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