Respire System manages allergy symptoms through monitoring air particles in the living environment; It collects air quality data and provides personalized allergen forecast based on users’ allergy profile.

The Sensus indoor/outdoor sensor provides personalized allergen forecast preventing potential allergy break out. It can work in isolated location or be part of a greater network by connecting to other Respires.

Curity patches give long-lasting allergy relief by providing a continuous non-fluctuating level of antihistamine. Curity e is an emergency antihistamine delivery capsule providing immediate relief.

The Respire App allows access to the Respire System wherever and whenever needed via mobile devices.

Project challenges:
Allergic rhinitis affects over 10% of the population worldwide, $11 billion of direct and indirect loss due to allergic rhinitis in America annually.
Current allergen forecasts are limited in detection area and provide inaccurate result.
Current allergy prevention products are insufficient to provide accurate assessment due to lack of patient information input.
Current allergic medications take too long to take effect which cannot treat the allergic symptoms in time.

Design opportunities:
Provide both indoor and outdoor allergen level, and provide personalized allergen forecast based on user’s medical record.
Allow user to access the information anytime anywhere.
Give user an early warning before the allergens can reach them.
Provide long-lasting non-fluctuating level of antihistamine to make sure user is always under protection.
Provide a fast, immediate solution for emergencies.

Allergy prevention has never been successfully developed because existing solutions were targeted at an isolated area. Respire is designed to connect the needs of patients and caregivers and open a communication gateway between them to form a larger network of environment monitoring and provide the most accurate and up-to-date result.

Respire system’s core intent group is the 10% of the world population who has allergic reactions associated with airborne particles. For them, it is like living with a ticking time bomb since they might have an allergic break out any time, any where, and by any number of allergens. Respire will ease the worry about the possible allergy outbreak.

The Respire system is a collaboration between the device maker, health care provider and the patients. Each Respire sensor collects allergen data and becomes part of the network to help the device maker to build an accurate, current, and responsive database, making it a reliable, credible, and profitable system. Respire also makes it easier for the health care provider to help patients manage their living environment in order to avoid allergens.

We started this project based on our personal experience with allergies, and wondered if there is an easier way to control the allergy symptoms. Throughout our research and interviews we learned that most people take allergy treatment after their body already has the allergy symptoms since they were not able to see or detect the invisible allergens. That creates another problem since people don’t know when should they take the medicine. Our design was driven by this fact which is why our design allows user to see their allergens so they can react to them proactively.

Although it is a medical device, we do not want it to feel like one. We want it to naturally become part of the family, therefore we design the Respire similar to a wall mount thermal state that can blend into any interior. We chose to use different color of LED lights because color is the most direct visual language to people and different colors easily give people an indication of a state of change. We use ambient light from the LED instead direct light because we wish not to create any intrusion, but instead a subtle and gentle feeling.

Unification is another target we are trying to reach in the Respire system, therefore the color schemes used on the medication package is identical to what the Respire display shows. It builds a mental image and easily identifiable system for the user when they need to find which medication to use.

Respire’s value is to release the user from the shadow of constant worry, anxiety, and uncontrolled allergic reaction. They can once again have control of their body and have a trouble free daily life, such as perform outdoor activity at a park, go watch a movie at premiere night, or adopt a pet, etc.

Respire does not just directly tell user what to do, instead it provides all the necessary data to educate the user how to take control of their life. Even in the case of emergency, a quick release version of medication is available.

The Respire system is a collaboration between the device maker, health care provider and the patients. Each Respire sensor collects allergen data and becomes part of the network to help the device maker to build an accurate, current, and responsive database, making it a reliable, credible, and profitable system. Not only are users able to benefit, but physicians will able to have better monitoring and real time updating of their patient’s condition and medication usage for further diagnosis.

Respire is moving the allergy fight from after the symptoms occur to before they ever happen in an intelligent, scientific, and thoughtful method.