New invention literally ‘clears the air’ for its users

World Today

New invention literally 'clears the air' for its users

Air pollution around the world has been a growing problem, especially in China. That’s why one Silicon Valley startup is looking to give everyone quality air wherever they go. CCTV America’s Mark Niu reports.

Wherever Ray Wu goes, a breath of fresh air follows.

He uses the device Wynd, which includes a removable sensor that checks the air quality around him, and then starts purifying.

“It’ll clean the air around your personal space, so anywhere between three feet around the device, it just purifies the air around it,” Wu claims. “The sensor monitors that air and actually controls the purifier so it can automatically clean as it goes.”

Wu takes us to his startup headquarters, which like so many iconic Silicon Valley companies, took shape in a garage.

But the idea came about when the Beijing-born Wu and his co-founder, Jason (who prefers to withhold his last name), traveled to China.

In the industrial city of Zhengzhou, Jason says pollution caused his daughter to have a severe cough and a swollen face.

“When you are living in a place like Beijing, or some of these other major cities, even if you do have the economic means, you still have to breath the air, so we hope to really make an impact there as well,” said Wu.

At Wu’s headquarters, his team filled a tank with smoke and then turned on Wynd. The device, which has air flow capabilities designed by a former NASA engineer, cleared the air in seconds.

Through its app, Wynd has even bigger plans. It wants to collect all the air quality data its users capture in order to build an air quality network.

If customers start choosing places with high air quality, it could motivate a restaurant to improve its literal atmosphere, because it pays to do so.