When the yellow canary hangs its head, open the window and air out. It might sound like a joke, but it's serious: The Danish-designed, rechargeable Fresh Air Monitor from Denmark's Birdie (formerly called Canairi) keeps an eye on the indoor climate: It measures the CO-2 level in the room, and if it's above it internationally recommended limit, the bird turns down and hangs its head. When you have aired out long enough, the canary will return to an upright position and your indoor air will again comply with applicable standards.
The innovative CO-2 meter was invented by childhood friends from Copenhagen, economics graduate Andreas Kofoed Sørensen and designer Hans Høite Augustenborg, who together established Birdie (formerly known as Canairi). The starting point for helping us get the air out is studies that show that 80 million homes in the EU alone suffer from poor indoor climate. The result can be a risk of asthma, headaches, allergies and sleep disturbances.
Internationally, health authorities recommend that we air out for 10 minutes, 2-3 times a day - simply because many of us spend 90% of our lives indoors. And when you need to air out, Birdie's CO-2 meter, shaped like a yellow canary, can help.
The canary became the natural choice as the outer design of the CO-2 meter because miners back in 1911 first started taking canaries to work in the mines. If the canaries got sick, it was time to come up from the mine and get some fresh air.
Dimensions: Canary: 10 x 5 x 2.1 cm, Box: 18 x 8 x 11 cm
Material: Recycled plastic
Colour: Yellow and grey
Design: Birdie
Model: Birdie Fresh Air Monitor
Birdie is easy to hang on the wall with the supplied screw and instruction sheet.