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Air ~ The Road Less Traveled

In a time when pretty much all information is at one's fingertips with the internet, we all appear to be wiser than ever before, especially when it comes to taking care of our health and wellness.

The essentials for every living being are food, water and air. Food is the main source of energy to keep organisms alive. Food, when chemically broken down, provides individual nutrients which perform specific functions within organisms. Water is the natural solvent necessary for chemical reactions to take place. But more importantly, water provide cells their structure to survive.

Americans spend over $60 Billion annually on diet related activities

Healthy Eating and Drinking

With abundance of information, we are paying special attention to the food and drinks we consume; from ingredients, to proteins, to fat, to hidden sugars to serving sizes. We have come to understand that our body, the temple of our soul, will only survive prosperity should we indulge in a healthy lifestyle of eating and drinking. Yes, we have taken very specific actions once we were enlightened by the hazards of various ingredients in food and drinks. As a case in a point, according to Marketdata, Americans spend more than $60 billion annually on diet related activities. So, its a good thing because according to the National Institute on Aging, the average life expectancy in the US is almost 80 - of course healthy living being one of the many contributors to this success.

We will breathe at least 584 Billion times in our lifetime

Why is knowing about Air the road less traveled?

Air - important to living beings because its a critical component in cellular respiration, the metabolic process by which we produce energy to live. We take 20,000 breaths a day - that's 584 billion breaths in a lifetime and yet we don't appear to know what's in the air we breathe.

Perhaps, we have not cared as much because we were not enlightened about the contents of the air we breathe but then again, how would we know what's in the air we breathe? It's not like we can pluck a bag of air and read it's ingredients prior to taking a breath! So, most people go about their daily lives, caring about many important health factors but fail to really understand the air they breathe - the road less traveled.

Nanotechnology Gas Sensors to the Rescue

Nanotechnology and the Road more often traveled

With advancement in nanotechnology and sensors in general, finally we are not restricted to the road less traveled. New environmental sensors from temperature, humidity, pressure, ultra violet lighting to nano gas sensors are slowly but surely making their way into mainstream gadgets. Soon, our smartphones and smartwatches will warn us of potential health risks to our air and specific actions we can take to reduce the impact of airborne toxins. This will help reduce asthma attacks, lessen the impact of COPD and other respiratory diseases, reduce the stress on your breathing, help safe lives due to carbon monoxide poisoning, make sure that everything you bring into your home is a safe environment for the young and old in your household and the list goes on.

Coupled with the advancement of augmented reality, nanotechnology gas sensors soon will allow you to "see" air molecules and "touch" them to know the potential impacts and very specific actions you need to take. With the Internet of Things (IoT) making its way into our lives and the way technologies are married to further the value proposition, Nano Gas Sensor are coming and you too will be on the road more often traveled when it comes to your surrounding air.

By Sundip R. Doshi
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