A smart flowerpot to purify indoor air

Natede captures 99 percent of bacteria, viruses and other organic compounds

Spotted: Italian startup Vitesy has developed an air purification system to monitor and clean indoor air. The device, called Natede, has become the most crowdfunded anti-pollution product ever — raising €1 million since last April.

Natede is essentially a smart flowerpot, combining the natural purification of plants with a photocatalytic filter to purify indoor air. The company claims it is able to capture 99 percent of bacteria, viruses and other organic compounds. The pot is made from ceramic and has a built-in self-watering system. Temperature and humidity levels of a room are read by sensors and relayed to the Clairy app, allowing for monitoring away from home. In addition, Natede is fully compatible with Alexa.

The Italian designers behind Vitesy, Alessio d’Andrea, Paolo Ganis and Vincenzo Vitiello, have won a German Design award. It also received €2 million in funding from the European Commission. Vitesy’s founder, Paolo Ganis, comes from a lineage of engineers dedicated to improving air quality. In the late 1930’s, Paolo’s grandfather designed the first ventilation system to help workers breathe cleaner air in the mines.