A consumer electronics startup needed to develop a multifunctional smart device for air quality improvement, combining purification, humidification, ionization, aroma diffusion, and monitoring features, all controllable via a mobile application. The main development tasks included integrating five functions into a compact, quiet, and energy-efficient device. For proper operation, we had to ensure sensor reading accuracy and develop reliable firmware. To successfully meet business objectives, we performed rapid prototyping to test hypotheses with focus groups and engineered the product for mass manufacturability.

We developed the electronics based on an STM32 microcontroller to control the fan, ultrasonic humidifier, ionizer, and an array of sensors (temperature, humidity, CO2 concentration, water level). We ensured a low noise level (40 dB in night mode) and optimal power consumption (40 W peak) from the AC adapter. The developed mobile application provides full control over the device's functions and air quality monitoring. The application uses BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) for data transfer to the cloud via a smartphone gateway and supports integration with smart home systems (Alexa, Siri, Alisa, Google Home, IFTTT).

The project was executed from concept to crowdfunding and production readiness in 9 months (6 months for hardware, 3 months for application development). The startup successfully launched two crowdfunding campaigns on Kickstarter and IndieGoGo, which led to mass production in China with an OEM manufacturer for the US and EU markets. The product is currently sold online and on Amazon and AliExpress platforms.