As it's our second time on Kickstarter, we're looking to do things a little different through this campaign and want to give you detailed information about the project that we weren't able to fit into the campaign page (we know it's a bit of a beast!). Also to answer your questions in more detail and to keep you guys up to date throughout the campaign.
So, without further adieu, let’s get stuck in!
What’s the matter with Matter?
We've had quite a few requests from our backers for this feature, but for the uninitiated I will give a quick explanation of what matter is, in an unscientific non-jargon way.
Matter is a brand name of a type of code that is owned by Google, Apple and Amazon that allows a standardised way for products that want to connect to an app or smart home to talk to each other across different platforms. That’s the real basics without getting stuck into the bog of IP security!
As promised to some of our backers we have built out a test using this system, to see if Briiv would be able to run on this kind of system.
Behold the master code! It doesn’t look like much, but this shows a working environment where we have control of a single light within matter.
What we have learnt from all of this, is that although we can use Matter, there are some fairly significant drawbacks that have not yet been solved. Mainly that you have to have a Google, Apple or Alexa smart home system for any of this to work. There is no fall back option if you wanted Briiv to work without one of these other devices and at the moment Matter doesn’t allow this optional split for us as a manufacture, which is a bit restrictive.
But does it matter?
We won’t build on the Matter network right now, but we will make our current system work with all the major platforms; Alexa , Google home, and Apple home kit. This means you'll get the same end use as if we did use Matter, but you'll get it sooner! Right now, Matter just isn't advanced enough for the requirements of Briiv Pro. This way everyone can enjoy all the features of Briiv and do it in a way they want to, without being tied into any particular system.
If you have any questions on this just let me know, I will be happy to elaborate on the more technical side, but just wanted to keep this update low on the jargon.
Air sensors, how they work?
Air quality sensors, often referred to as an air quality monitor, operate on the principle of detecting various pollutants and particulate matter present in the air.
There are a couple of sensor technologies that exist, these are gas and particulate, explained in more detail below:
Gas Sensors:These sensors detect specific gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and others. They typically use chemical reactions that produce electrical signals proportional to the concentration of the targeted gas.
Particle Sensors:These sensors focus on particulate matter (PM) in the air. They use techniques like light scattering or laser-based methods to determine the concentration and size distribution of particles.
The sensor collects data by interacting with the air. For gas sensors, this involves the adsorption or reaction of gases on the sensor's surface. For particle sensors, it involves detecting light scattering or blockage as particles pass through it.
The raw data from the sensor is processed to convert electrical signals into meaningful measurements. This often involves calibration to ensure accuracy in real-world conditions.
In Briiv Pro we've used both of these sensor technologies, so we can monitor a wide variety of things in the air. These are all reported back to you via the app in real-time. The app interface in still in development, however we have a basic API call that we are using below to test and develop it. We have also designed it in a way that doesn’t cheat and give you false feedback, we do this by measuring ambient air from outside the filter and not purified air inside, like most others do.
In the past and in other units, sensors have always needed to be maintained, losing their accuracy after just a few months. We have avoided putting them into our products up to this point, but now we've developed a way to use AI to continuously calibrate them alongside a micro self-cleaning mode that the sensor will enter periodically, so no maintenance is required on them.
It’s pretty smart stuff and we are really pleased to be able to finally integrate this into Briiv.
Tooling Up
Just before we started the campaign we were out at our injection moulding factory talking to them about the parts and the tooling requirements. Since launching the campaign and the huge success it's been and having it successfully funded so quickly, we have been able to work with them to get the tooling into production early!
There isn't much that happens for the next 30 days, as they order the steel used to make the tool, springs and injection pins, bearings and linear rails along with a host of cooling pipe fittings.
But it means that as soon as the campaign ends we can get underway with making the moulded bio-plastic parts that have the longest production time. We will use the time saving to absorb anything that might go wrong or get delayed later down the line, so we can hit our delivery timeline as planned.
If you'd like any more info on anything we've mentioned here, feel free to email us at ask@briiv.co.uk or leave a comment on our community and we'll be happy to get back to you!
The Briiv team
