The past half-decade has seen a rise in interest and concern regarding the health conditions of our homes, particularly when it comes to air quality. Many households have acquired air purifiers, humidifiers, UV sanitizers, and the like, though sometimes people go overboard and turn these on even when they’re not necessary. It can be a waste not only of time but also of precious and expensive energy.
Of course, we can always install a plethora of sensors that will alert us to certain conditions, but knowing figures and making sense of those numbers are two different things. We might not always comprehend the compounding effects of certain conditions, but this rather adorable and emotional desktop toy will make sure you understand the situation by showing you its unamused face whenever things in your room become less than ideal.
Designer:
As proven by how we’ve only become aware of the poor quality of air in our homes, we can easily be desensitized to certain conditions or play them off as something unrelated to the room’s health. We might be feeling itchy and simply attribute it to some insect or dust, or we start sweating and simply think it’s just hot. Chances are, however, that there might be something wrong with the temperature, humidity, or air quality, and you just aren’t aware of it.
Gus 2.0 isn’t going to take chances and will delightfully inform you if something is amiss. It won’t be intrusive or disruptive, like some disembodied AI voice assistant might do, but will instead convey the information through its emotions, or rather through its eyes. This robot-like desktop toy has two very large cartoony eyes, often associated with cuteness, that begin to droop as your room’s health worsens. A simple touch on its head will tell you what’s got it down so you can open the window, turn on the AC, or make whatever adjustments necessary to make it happy again.
It’s not exactly a robot in the technical sense. The robot-shaped Gus is really just a housing for humidity, temperature, and air quality sensors as well as a screen that displays the eyes and text. Unlike the maker’s , Gus 2.0 has a proper 3D-printed body and sensors that are, thankfully, easily connected with minimal soldering. All the pieces, steps, and programs are available for free so you can make your own moody robot.
Granted, there are also professional-looking consumer gadgets that can report the same information, such as a fancy smart thermostat, for example. But how can you resist having such a cute “robot” on your desk, keeping you company and loyally alerting you to your room’s condition? You can also put Gus 2.0 anywhere, as long as it’s within view, making it a more portable solution to those smart home devices that you usually need to install on walls or ceilings.
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