Whether we ’re at home , at the office , or somewhere in between , most of us spend the majority of our time indoors . And , though we may not realize it , indoor surround can be as varied and complex as outdoor ecosystem : Everything from furniture and lighting to air quality and temperature can have a possible impingement on our health .
That ’s why the Mayo Clinic has created theWell Living Labto study indoor health . The lab is designed to look like a run - of - the - milling machinery spot , but it ’s outfit with sensor that can track everything from the military strength of test subject to the microbic make-up of the space .
It ’s also modular , which means all of the walls , article of furniture , lighting , and even plumbing system can be swapped out at any meter . Though the laboratory prototype is designed to face like a typical position , it can be re - outfitted to mimic a variety of different professional and residential spaces .
In rescript to build the lab , the Mayo Clinic has teamed up with Delos Ventures , which research and consults on how to make homes and offices level-headed . Rich Macary , the president of Delos , toldWIREDthat while scientists have studied indoor health before , their inquiry is often siloed — they’ll study the effects of lighting on health , for case , but wo n’t needs consider temperature or humidness . “ If we drop the temperature two or three or four degrees before you go to kip , are we in effect helping send a signal to the soundbox that is stronger or weaker than a light - cue ? ” Macary asks .
By contrast , the Well Living Lab will take a holistic feeler , considering multiple variable quantity in tandem . The goal is to cater a blank space not only for medical research , but for companies who require to try out out the health shock of their product . According toWIRED , the ultimate idea is to help identify the design principles that further hefty animation , by asking question like , " What if you could lose weight by changing your role furniture ? ” or “ What if your wall and ceilings could eliminate VOCs so you could breathe easier ? ”
[ h / t : WIRED ]
