9 out of 10 people worldwide breathe air that exceeds WHO guidelines. Do you know what's in yours?
Empowering students and teachers to measure hyperlocal air quality and advocate for climate justice through low-cost, open-source technology. BackpAQ puts a professional-grade air sensor in a student's backpack — and turns their trip to school and classroom experience into a scientific field study.
An easy-to-use air quality monitor designed for mobile exploration. Measure particulates and gases in real-time, mapping the air as you move through your neighborhood. Measures PM1, PM2.5, PM10, CO2, NO2, and VOC. Sends data to the Internet once per minute, and stores securely in a custom database for deeper exploration by mobile app or comprehensive web-based visualization toolset.
Paired with the BackpAQ mobile monitor, the BackpAQ mobile app transforms raw data into a visual story. Monitor particles (PM2.5) and gases (CO2, NO2, VOC) in realtime. Create "breadcrumb" trails of exposure to identify hotspots on your daily commute, school route, campus exploration, or in the classroom.
BackpAQ AIView provides powerful built-in data analytics such as historical graphs and track visualization. Powered by Claude AI (Anthropic) to interpret complex atmospheric data. Ask questions about your findings, generate a formal student investigation report, and get instant scientific context to power your advocacy — all with AirBuddy as your personal air quality companion.
Meet Your Air Companion
AirBuddy is BackpAQ's gamification companion — a living, breathing creature inside the dashboard that reacts to your air quality data in real time. Give it your own name, watch it thrive in clean air and wilt in pollution, grow its flower garden across sessions, and earn badges as you explore, investigate, and report. Powered by Claude AI, AirBuddy helps you draft formal student investigation reports — keeping you in charge of the science.
Stories from the Field
"The labs are really cool and engaging. My students love the hands-on aspect of tracking pollution."— 11th Grade Chemistry Teacher
"It is a fascinating experiment for students; air quality is a topic that relates to everyone."— Physics Teacher
"I didn't realize my walk to school was so polluted until I mapped it. We're taking this to the Council."— Jordan, 11th Grade