New AR app helps you choose houseplants for improving air quality

We all know that houseplants are good for us—the process of photosynthesis absorbs carbon dioxide and volatile organic compounds while producing oxygen. Studies also show that greenery lowers stress. But how many plants do you need to make a difference? And what kind? Plant Life Balance is a new app trying to take the guesswork out of the type and number of plants you need to hit the sweet spot of cleaner air and boosted wellbeing.

The app’s creators reviewed more than 100 scientific articles on the impact of plants on people, developing what they call the “plant life balance index”—essentially a rating system for how much a given kind of flora impacts air quality and general wellbeing. An interesting twist is that the app can also judge combinations of large and small plants in the same space, determining if they work well together to achieve a desired level of air and emotional quality.

Users take a picture of their room and record the number and size of their existing houseplants. The app then rates the “health” of the room based on its size and plant distribution and allows users to improve its air and wellbeing ratings by dragging and dropping new plants onto the image. There are more than 90 plants in the catalogue. Once the ideal balance is reached, the app generates a shopping list you can take to a local plant store to get exactly what you need.

Plant Life Balance is currently free to download on iOS and Android.

Via: New Atlas