Furnace Filter Notifies Your Phone When Its Time to Change

Toronto-based CleanAir.ai's "smart" Alvi furnace filter ensures you'll never forget to change the air filter, writes Ben Coxworth for New Atlas.

Users insert a cartridge into the main unit, plug that unit's power cord into an electrical outlet, then insert the unit-cartridge combo into the furnace's filter slot. The unit creates a polarized electromagnetic field, which causes tiny incoming airborne particles of dust, pollen, mold, and the like to clump together into larger ones. Those larger, conglomerated particles are then trapped in the filter cartridge, reportedly resulting in HEPA-standard air purification.

Utilizing an integrated Wi-Fi module, Alvi continuously transmits readings from its airflow sensors and optical sensors to a cloud-based server. There, the data is analyzed by a machine-learning algorithm, which determines when the cartridge is full of crud and thus needs to be replaced. Users are subsequently alerted to that fact via an accompanying iOS/Android app. That app can additionally be set to automatically order new cartridges as needed; Alvi is also compatible with smart home systems such as Amazon Alexa and Google Home.