Ikea Unveils Smart Air Purifier within an End Table

August 2, 2021  by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Industry   

“For Ikea, the smart home is not about gadgets. It’s about making life and home better through combining our solid home furnishing knowledge with digital solutions and technology,” says Henrik Telander, product owner at Ikea of Sweden. “That’s why we explore the possibility of integrating the function of purifying air and technology to provide good experience for customers at home.”

Starkvind air purifier is designed for indoor use and to be optimized for room size up to 20 m². It can be used on its own, but when connected to the Tradfri gateway, the smart air purifier can be controlled and scheduled via the Ikea Home smart app. The air purifier has five different fan speeds and an auto-mode. In auto mode, it will adjust the fan speed correlated with the amount of PM2.5 in the air with a built-in air quality sensor. The sensor also makes it readable in the app for the current indoor air quality. Starkvind is available in two versions, a floor-standalone model and a side table model, to meet different needs and taste.

“Starkvind is a high-performing air purifier. When designing it, we also wanted it to have a modern design which can be adapted to changing lifestyles. People can choose based on their needs and preference,” added Telander.

The air purifier has a 3-filter system. The pre-filter captures big particles such as hair and dust. The filter for particle removal is optimized to filter away approximately 99.5% of smaller airborne particles such as PM2.5 particles, dust, and pollen. The filter for gas cleaning absorbs various gaseous pollutants such as formaldehyde and other VOCs and reduces unpleasant odors such as from smoking and cooking.

“Clean indoor air is an important factor for health. We know that there is no single solution to solve indoor air pollution. We work long term for positive change, to enable people to purify the air in their home,” says Telander.