Child-Friendly Pollution Detectors

Urban Canaries are an adorable, child-friendly gadget that falls 'ill' when exposed to unclean air.

Years ago, coal miners would bring canaries into the tunnels with them as the delicate yellow birds were more prone to gasses that are fatal to humans, like carbon monoxide. If the birds died, the workers would know their conditions were unsafe, and would remove themselves immediately. Urban canaries draw inspiration from this concept, and serve as an electronic indicator of polluted air. The adorable compact devices are embedded with pollution-detecting sensors -- if the birds are exposed to unclean air, they become 'ill.'

The state of the bird can be further assessed through an accompanied smart phone app which provides a more detailed analysis. Urban canaries were created to accompany children, acting as a resource that could help open a dialogue between the children and their parents regarding the dangers of over-exposure to polluted city air.