A German maker has developed a cute air quality monitor called Gus, which expresses the air quality in a room through facial expressions on a small screen rather than using a numerical rating system.
Built around a Xiao ESP32-C3 microcontroller, the device uses a SeeedStudio Grove air quality sensor to detect carbon monoxide and various toxic and volatile gases, as well as a THT22 sensor to measure temperature and humidity.
However, it does not detect particulates or CO2, and the maker suggests this could be solved by using more sophisticated sensors and an increasingly expressive face to better communicate the readings.
To ensure users don’t become overly reliant on the facial expressions, they can tap Gus’ head to receive more direct readings from the sensors.
