AirGuard can tell when there’s weed or tobacco smoke in the air

By Drew Prindle October 30, 2014

airguard smoke detector marijuana tobacco smoking joint — Image used with permission by copyright holder

If you’re the guy who regularly ignores “no smoking” signs, you might want to start checking your surroundings before you light up — there’s a new product under development that aims to put an end to your wanton disregard for the rules.

Designed as a tool for landlords, hoteliers, and other property managers, AirGuard is a new type of smoke detector that can tell the difference between different kinds of smoke. Using a special set of polymer films, the device can accurately detect cigarette and marijuana smoke in a way that a normal smoke alarm cannot. If it senses the presence of organic compounds found in cigarette and marijuana smoke, it will automatically log and report the incident through the Web.

Related: Leeo listens for your smoke alarm, sends you an alert when it goes off

The device isn’t quite finished just yet, but when it launches early next year, it’ll be available in two different forms. The first will be a handheld, battery-powered model that connects to Android devices via Bluetooth, whereas the second will be a Wi-Fi model that plugs directly into an outlet, and comes with tamper-proof screws to ensure it can’t be removed.

After launch, the company intends to market AirGuard primarily to hotels who don’t want patrons smoking in their rooms, but also has plans to sell them to individual consumers as well. We imagine that landlords, residence hall directors, and parents will also have some interest in such a device.

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Topics

Internet of Things (IoT)

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Drew Prindle is an award-winning writer, editor, and storyteller who currently serves as Senior Features Editor for Digital…

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