From Invisible to Actionable: Augmented Reality Interactions with Indoor CO2

2026-02-01

AI Summary

This study addresses the challenge posed by indoor carbon dioxide (CO₂)—an invisible, odorless gas that can accumulate in undetectable pollution hotspots, posing health risks and lacking effective means for visualization and user engagement. To tackle this issue, the authors propose an interactive system that integrates a wrist-worn miniature CO₂ sensor with a smartphone-based augmented reality (AR) game. This work presents the first integration of wearable gas sensing with AR gameplay mechanics, transforming invisible high-concentration CO₂ zones into real-time, interactive visual elements that encourage users to initiate ventilation. Evaluation with 35 participants demonstrates that the system significantly enhances users’ awareness of CO₂-related health risks and boosts engagement, achieving a median usability score of 1.88 on a 5-point Likert scale, thereby confirming its practical utility and potential for behavioral intervention.

Technology Category

• Cognitive Modeling & Cognitive Systems: Social Cognition And Interaction
• Humans and AI: Interaction Techniques and Devices
• Intelligent Robots: Multimodal Perception & Sensor Fusion

Application Category

• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Sustainability and carbon-aware systems for Web, mobile, and WoT
• Security and Privacy: Large-scale security measurements
• User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: User privacy protection in personalized systems

Abstract

Indoor carbon dioxide (CO2) can rapidly accumulate to form invisible pollution hotspots, posing significant health risks due to its odorless and colorless nature. Despite growing interest in wearable or stationary sensors for pollutant detection, effectively visualizing CO2 levels and engaging individuals remains an ongoing challenge. In this paper, we develop a portable wrist-sized pollution sensor that detects CO2 in real time at any indoor location and reveals CO2 bubbles by highlighting sudden spikes. In order to promote better ventilation habits and user awareness, we also develop a smartphone-based augmented reality (AR) game for users to locate and disperse these high-CO2 zones. A user study with 35 participants demonstrated increased engagement and heightened understanding of CO2's health impacts. Our system's usability evaluations yielded a median score of 1.88, indicating its strong practicality.

Problem

• indoor CO2
• invisible pollution
• visualization
• health risks
• user engagement

Innovation

• augmented reality
• CO2 sensing
• wearable sensor
• indoor air quality
• interactive visualization