Sprimo
Environmental Sensing

Sprimo Personal Air Purifier

Enjoy instant relief from allergies and pollutants in your personal bubble of fresh, clean air.

$22,203 raised

of $250,000 goal

9% Funded Campaign Suspended
Apr 28 2016
suspended

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Located in China? Sprimo中文介绍请点击这里

Enjoy Instant Relief from Allergies and Pollutants in Your Personal Bubble of Fresh, Clean Air

Sprimo angled upwards

What is Sprimo?

Sprimo is a personal, portable air purifier that is scientifically proven to be 50 times more effective and efficient than conventional air purifiers at removing pollution and particulates from the air.

It instantly envelops you in a quiet, soft bubble of fresh, clean air, whether you are in a small room or a large open space. Say goodbye to itchy eyes, sneezing, and your office-mate’s germs! Not only is the air cleaner, but it arrives within seconds rather than hours, and at a fraction of the price of conventional purifiers and filters.

How Does it Work?

Sprimo is armed with state-of-the-art sensors that monitor the quality of the surrounding air, collecting data so that Sprimo can adaptively make the air cleaner, while personalizing how air is delivered to you based on your specific needs and preferences. Connect your Sprimo to the Sprimo mobile app to control your air purifier remotely, and get real-time insights into the quality of the air around you.

Sprimo was developed by an expert team that includes a Ph.D. in chemistry from NYU specializing in indoor air quality, a product manager behind development of the Amazon Kindle, and an industrial designer responsible for the Nike Fuel band, the Dropcam camera, and Google Chromecast. We’ve been working on Sprimo for the last two years and putting it through rigorous testing at UC Berkeley. With your help as our first backers, we are ready to raise the bar for air purification.

Dusan Licina (postdoctoral researcher at U.C. Berkeley) and Jovan Pantelic (Assistant Professor at U.C. Berkeley) testing Sprimo.

Get Healthy Air in Any Room, Instantly

Fits easily on your desk. Keep the air in your office sweet and clean.

Got a workmate who smokes? Has cats? Likes curry? Or maybe someone near your desk, um, let’s say is trying to solve the drought by reducing shower schedules? Get sweet smelling, clean air in any office.

Put Sprimo on your night stand for a good night's sleep and relief from allergies without meds.

At night it’s like sleeping under a fresh blanket of air from the Alps. By removing toxins from the air around you, Sprimo gives you instant relief from allergies, so you can get a better night’s sleep without using medication.

Protect Yourself From Harmful Pollutants and Particles

While in use, Sprimo is pointed directly at the user while it quietly emits a soft stream of purified air. Sprimo forms the clean air into a smooth, laminar flow, which becomes turbulent shortly after exiting the body. This forms the bubble of fresh air that surrounds the user.

Wait! Did I just hear someone sneeze?

Easy To Use Touchscreen

Sprimo includes a 2.5” round touchscreen where you can access air quality information, fan speed, and filter status.

You can also control how much air is generated by manually adjusting the fan speed from 0 to 100. (no High-Med-Low with Sprimo). If you need a cool fan, simply turn up the fan speed.

Another function allows you to see the status of your filter capacity. And when the filter is getting close to full, Sprimo lets you know so you can order a replacement.

Sprimo’s app lets you check levels on your phone - in real time, so you can monitor or adjust Sprimo’s settings remotely. It’s that easy.

Sprimo’s touch screen can also show you in air quality levels in real time.

Designed to work for YOU

What makes for a good product? A high quality product that works for YOU, not the other way around. If Sprimo senses that today is a bit extra muggy than yesterday, it will adjust and work harder to keep you safe.

Sprimo keeps you informed of your indoor air quality and will notify you when there’s anything to worry about, like dust levels or unseen gasses.

Because Sprimo is smart, it will change its behavior based on measurements (gasses, dust, pollen, temperature) that it takes. Sprimo can let you know if your humidity level is extremely high, or if the CO2 level has risen sharply. It will even notify you a couple weeks ahead of time if the filter’s capacity is diminished, and the smartphone app will let you know when a new filter is on its way.

Sprimo is Quiet Enough for Your Library, if You Only Had One…

Gorgeous Design, Inside and Out

Sprimo front view

It tilts, so you can direct air exactly where you want it. Sprimo’s touchscreen and home button are all you need - no knobs.

The body tilts with the kind of friction hinges used in laptops. Sprimo pulls bad air from the back, and delivers fresh air out of the front.

Sprimo’s Filter

For this campaign, only one general-purpose filter is available. However, as we gather data about our users’ air quality and needs, we will offer other types of filters in various combinations.

Sprimo uses a built-in NFC reader to read the filter is currently installed, along with details such as when the filter was manufactured. This tells Sprimo how much total capacity the filter has, how much filter life it has, and what it has been optimized to capture.

Sprimo with filter

Replaceable in Just Seconds

This must be a first - a filter designed to be so simple my grandmother can replace it. Talk about turning the industry on it’s ear!

Sprimo’s filter can be replaced in seconds with one hand and no tools. Simply twist and pull to remove. Similarly, to install a new filter, simply insert and twist.

Replace Filter Based on Usage and Air Quality

Because Sprimo knows exactly how much air it has filtered, the quality of that air, and the type of filter currently installed, it can alert you to change its filter based on actual use, not on a fixed interval of time regardless of use like other air purifiers.

We Recycle Used Filters

Just use the packaging from your new filter to send us back your used one, and we’ll break it down for recycling.


Clean an Entire Room Using Turbo Mode

In turbo mode, Sprimo’s body is pointed straight up and you can have the fan turned on full blast. The purified air exiting the body is split by the aluminum handle, which diffuses the air throughout the room. This lets Sprimo quickly purify all the air in the space. It looks technical, but don’t worry, it’s just science.

Sprimo facing up

Tilting the body so the air points straight up is the best way to clean a whole room.

Looking Good on the Credenza.

You Are What You Breathe

You consume about a kilo of food every day, about 2 kilos of water every day and you consume nearly 20 lbs of air every day. (I didn’t know that!) But we all know it’s critical to your well being, your energy level, and your lifespan.

Polluted air kills around four million people a year, and the incidence of childhood asthma has doubled in the last ten years. Petrochemicals, toxins, and “cleaners” added to household products borders on low-grade chemical warfare.

Do you know what's really in your air?

A conventional air purifier is simple - a fan forces air through a filter. Yet, typically only 1% of the purified air output is actually inhaled by an occupant of the space. Even then, that air is often no longer clean by the time it reaches the occupant’s lungs - the many pollution sources (e.g., building materials, cleaning products) that make indoor air quality two to five times worse than outdoor have already infested the newly “purified” air.

But what if the problem in your room isn’t dust, dander, or pollen, but volatile organic compounds (VOCs)? How do you choose a filter when pollen counts are expected to go through the roof due to this year’s strong El Nino, but the main pollutants in your region are particulate matter up to 2.5 microns in diameter (PM2.5)? How do you know if the throughput of the heavy box chugging away loudly in the corner is any match for a cavernous, musty basement with twenty year-old shag carpet, two kids, three dogs, and a cat with dandruff? Without expensive, ongoing testing you don’t know. Unless you have Sprimo.

How is Sprimo Different?

Clean: 50x more efficient clean air delivery than whole room purifiers.
Instant: Fresh air delivered in seconds, not hours.
Adaptive: Filter can be customized based on sensor data and lab analysis.
Quiet: <40 dB (projected) versus 49-59 dB (whole room purifiers).
Efficient: 1/8th the power consumption of whole room purifiers.
Economical: Device and filters cost half as much as whole room purifiers and filters.
Sustainable: Recyclable filters are replaced based on usage and air quality.

Comparison to Other Purifiers

Other PurifiersSprimo
Form factorLarge, loud box Compact, quiet, adjustable gimbal
Modes of operationClean the whole room Clean the whole room or your personal bubble of air
Operating efficiency1% of filtered air delivered to breathing zone >50% of filtered air delivered to breathing zone
Spatial limitationsLimited to rooms of a certain size Personal bubble is generated in a room of any size
Time to clean airHours to clean an entire room Seconds to envelop the user in clean air
Energy efficiencyRecommended to run 24/7 Run only when the user is present
Partition requirementsRoom needs to be sealed Doors and windows can be open
Noise pollutionLoud at high throughput (49-59 dB) Quiet (<40 dB projected)
** Fan control**Coarse (low, medium, high) Fine (0-100)
Filter optionsOne filter that doesn't fit all Customized, filter-based data collected
Changing the filterMessy, complicated process that requires tools Clean, one-handed twist-to-remove and twist-to-insert
Used filter disposalLandfill Recycled
Used filter analysisNone Deep biological and/or chemical analysis
Sense of ownershipPurifier belongs to the room Purifier belongs to you
AwarenessDumb and not data driven Smart (five sensors, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth) and data driven

Features & Specifications

Air Quality SensorsTemperature, Humidity, CO2, VOCs, PM2.5
Operational SensorsFan speed, power usage, wireless signal strength (RSSI), filter presence sensor (NFC)
FanVariable speed (0-100 versus low/medium/high)
Connectivity802.11 B, G, N with WPA2, Bluetooth Low Energy
User Interface2.5" touchscreen, phone app, and web app
Phone CompatibilityiPhone 5 with iOS 8 or later (Android coming soon)
FirmwareEmbedded Linux
Data AccessOpen API (to be published) to owner's data
Filter OptionsVariations of different grades of HEPA media, pleated activated carbon, pleated impregnated carbon, or combination thereof
Body Dimensions10" diameter, 4.6" depth (without frame and base)
Body MaterialInjection molded ABS
Frame and Base MaterialSolid aluminum
Overall Dimensions12" height x 10.7" width x 8" depth (with frame and base)
Power Requirements110V AC to 24 VDC wall adapter included, maximum 15 Watts
CablingPower cable internally routed through base and gimbal hinge
PortabilityIntegrated aluminum handle and base, travel case available

Optional Service: Lab Analysis of Your Used Filter

Not only will your Sprimo air purifier tell you directly about the temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide, volatile organic compounds, and PM2.5 (dust) levels of your air, but we also offer two types of deep laboratory analyses that give you a wealth of information.

Chemical Analysis

A chemical analysis of a used Sprimo filter will reveal the quantity and type of:

Biological Analysis

A biological analysis of a used Sprimo filter will reveal the quantity and type of:


Meet the Team

Ray Combs, CEO

Ray comes to Sprimo with decades of product development and management experience. Most recently he was VP of Products at HandScape, an innovative line of mobile device cases that funded at 305% on Kickstarter. Prior to that he held positions as Director of Product Management at Livescribe, Lytro Camera, and Memeo, as Senior Product Manager at Amazon Labs, and as a Product Manager at PalmSource, Palm and Tap Wave. He also serves as a Principal Consultant at RC Consulting Group and as a member of the Board of Advisors at The Harold Frank Entrepreneurship Institute at Washington State University.|

Harold Han, CTO

Harold received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from New York University in 2012. Before joining Sprimo, Harold was a Senior Scientist at Bio-Rad Laboratories, leading the chemistry team for product development. Harold’s expertise lies in aqueous/gaseous filtration chemistry, with extensive experience in air quality testing, filter media evaluation. and fluidal analysis based on computational simulation. Harold is also an expert on the chemistry of air quality sensing technology, for both solid and gaseous pollutants.

Dan Harden, Head Designer

Dan is an industrial designer with decades of experience and the winner of over 200 design awards. Throughout his prolific career, Dan has designed hundreds of successful products, from baby bottles to super computers. Examples include: Google Chromecast, Eton emergency radios, Roku TV devices, Braun Thermoscan thermometers, Logitech mice, and many more. Dan and his work have been featured in many publications and media outlets, including Business Week, CNN, Fortune, Time, Newsweek, and Wired. Dan is currently CEO of Whipsaw, Inc., a Silicon Valley design firm that was ranked among 2009’s “Top Five Design Firms in the World” by Fast Company magazine.


Risks and Challenges

While we have put together a solid production plan surrounding the Sprimo, we know things do come up. While we do not expect any issues, here are some challenges that could potentially arise:


Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: What size room does it filter?
A: Because Sprimo surrounds you with a bubble of purified, clean air (rather than wasting time trying to clean a larger space) it can be used in any room size. Sprimo focuses it’s efforts on keeping the air in YOUR personal space pure, not the air on the other side of the room.

Q: Is it loud?
A: While Sprimo is quieter than other air filters on the market, it does generate a low hum (like any fan).

Q: Why are you 50 x better than others?
A: The short answer - Sprimo’s purification method of cleaning your personal space rather than a whole room is is more efficient, effective, and smarter.
The long answer - see campaign page above :).

Q: Where does the air go in, and come out?
A: Air is pulled in through the back edges of Sprimo (where you can see the blue of the filter), and clean air is then pushed out the front of Sprimo’s face (around the edges of the touch interface). See the image below for more details.

In the Press

Yahoo! Tech

"Literally the coolest thing I saw at CES was the Sprimo air purifier."

VentureBeat Logo

VentureBeat

"...a smart personal air purifier that is engineered to tell you exactly what’s in the air you’re breathing."


Engadget Logo
Techcrunch Logo
Uncrate
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Ask a Question

Produced by Sprimo in Santa Clara, California.

Sold and shipped by Crowd Supply.

Used Filter Lab Analysis

A deep chemical and/or biological analysis of your used filter to tell you even more about your air. Results are available 3-4 weeks after receipt of used filter.

$35
Sprimo facing right

Super Early Bird Sprimo

Save 40% Off the $499 MSRP. Includes a balanced filter for pollen, dust and chemicals smells. Comes with 110-240V universal power supply.

$299 $8 US Shipping / $18 Worldwide
Sprimo facing right

Early Bird Sprimo

Save 30% Off the $499 MSRP (add $20 for shipping). Includes a balanced filter for pollen, dust and chemicals smells. Comes with 110-240V universal power supply.

$369 $8 US Shipping / $18 Worldwide

Sprimo Travel Case

A custom travel/carrying case for your Sprimo unit. Sprimo keeps you safe, why not return the favor?

$59 $8 US Shipping / $18 Worldwide

Spare General-purpose Filter

A spare filter for your Sprimo.

$59 $8 US Shipping / $18 Worldwide

Home & Office 2-Unit Bundle

A pair of Sprimo Personal Air Purifier units, each with 24 VDC wall adapter included.

$719 Free US Shipping / $18 Worldwide

Office 10-pack

A pack of 10 Sprimo Air Purifiers, at bulk pricing. Fill your office or business with purified air!

$3,199 Free US Shipping / Not Available Outside US

Support Sprimo

A donation to Sprimo and the cause of clean air. With our thanks!

$5

About the Team

Sprimo

Santa Clara, California  ·   sprimo.com

Smart products to help people truly breathe easier.

Ray Combs
CEO
 raycombs
Harold Han
CTO
Dan Harden
Head Designer

See Also

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