breathe easier with the aluminum universal respirator by daniel farmer

breathe easier with the aluminum universal respirator by daniel farmer
all images courtesy of daniel farmer

urbanization is on the rise, which in today’s society is having a profound effect on our respiratory health, where urban lifestyles are leading to poor air quality, health, and different types of diseases. to put the problem into context over 67,000 people die each year in the UK due to respiratory diseases and 235 million people in the world currently suffer from asthma. doctors, GP’s and health professionals will not cope with the increases, and the crucial treatments will not be readily available. as a result, daniel farmer has developed the ‘universal respirator’.

back view showing a buddhism design language encasing the two vessels

‘as attitudes towards social behavior are changing and people’s modern lives become faster paced and technology centered, people need downtime to recuperate, revive and to find clarity to disconnect from a hyper connectivity existence,’ says farmer. ‘there are no emotional attachments or connections with current medical devices. users associate these devices with a bad stigma and find it a bad dependency. they are also often ashamed of using the devices and are often not on show. furthermore, the device is obtrusive and needs a design to bring tangibility and physical beauty to the everyday.’

side of the device showing ribbed pattern that distorts the mind 

buddhist rituals and visceral organs sparked the approach to design the process of breathing. the ‘universal respirator’ is a salt cave for your home, offering a natural drug-free solution to divert from medical prescribed products, serving those users who wish to indulge in emotionally connected products and those who desire to enjoy a physical tangible experience.

front view of the device mimicking the two lungs and the process of breathing

the product does not only mechanically reproduce the act of inhaling and exhaling, but also represents it formally. from the front, the shape mimics two lungs side by side. partially encased in polyurethane, the vessels consist of anodized aluminum and borosilicate glass. 

(left) half of the ‘lung’ is casted around supporting the device 
(right) soft gentle curves and contrasting materials 

in order to operate the device, the cap must be taken off of the containers and filled with approximately 0.5 liters of water and one spoon of pharmaceutical salt. once the power is turned on, the flow of the drip valve can be controlled through an adjustable lever. when the blue LED light is lit, users are instructed to take out the mouthpiece and inhale for 5 to 10 minutes.

inner prototyped components 

anodized aluminum cap 

mouthpiece shows an expression of transportation of air

detail of the foot 

universal respirator views

diagram of the product

original concept sketch and idea that formed the project 

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.