Chinese designer Huachen Xin has created Pollution Ranger and Smog Shade, an installation that monitors and visualises the air pollution levels in cities.
Pollution Ranger is a self-powered air quality monitor that attaches to the roof of a taxi or Uber car and collects data on pollution levels.
This information is then relayed to Smog Shade, a transparent disc in a circular aluminium frame that darkens and becomes opaque if higher levels of pollution are detected in the city.
"People have the right to know the genuine air quality that surrounds by them," Xin told Dezeen.
"Based on this data, they could choose whether they need to move in or out of where they currently live, especially people who have lung diseases," he added. "City managers could also use the data as clues to find out realtime pollution, for example, or track illegals emissions during the night."
The installation has been shortlisted for Dezeen Awards 2020 in the installation design category.
A device on the roof of taxis monitors air quality
Xin, who is a graduate of the Royal College of Art, decided to create this realtime data visualisation system in response to the air pollution situation in China. Some cities, including Beijing, are blanketed in smog caused by pollution that can cause serious respiratory illnesses.
"Air pollution has become a major issue in China and poses a threat to Chinese public health," said the designer. "The only air-quality data tha...