BreathSafe: a clip-on PM2.5 monitor for ojol drivers (STACK 2026 by GDGoC ITB)

The problem

Around seven million online motorcycle-taxi (ojol) drivers work in Indonesia, but fixed air-quality stations cannot measure the air alongside each rider. On 30 October 2026, the RSUD Tanjung Priok rooftop station reported PM2.5 of 102.87 µg/m³ and an ISPU of 175 (“Unhealthy”).

What we heard in the field

In October 2026 the team held six exploratory interviews: five drivers and one student-worker. Four reported dust-related eye irritation, four reported riding 5–10 hours per day, and one had a cough that made them stop working. These accounts are exploratory and give no evidence of prevalence or causation.

The concept

BreathSafe is a sensor module on the rider’s mask, cabled to a waist-worn battery. A PMS5003 sensor and a 5 V blower sample the air near the face.

• Three steady LEDs show project-defined PM2.5 bands
• At a safe stop, red prompts a mask check
• The app then shows when and where exposure peaked
• Optionally, riders share an anonymous summary (time per band only) with their group. This is planned, with synthetic data in the demo

Planned MVP

A Chrome progressive web app on Android using Web Bluetooth, with a PMS5003, an nRF52840 board, and an AHT20 humidity sensor. The plan includes weight and fit testing across masks, a breakaway connector, day-and-night LED tests, and on-road helmet validation.

My role

Team member, on team “Mirza Batagor Phd”.

Status

Ongoing. BreathSafe is a competition entry for STACK 2026 by GDGoC ITB (Case 2: Stronger Communities and Everyday Services). The hardware is not yet built or tested, and the images are concept renders, not photos of a prototype. Hardware freeze is 27 November 2026; the Final Day, if selected, is 16 December 2026. Full details are on the BreathSafe project page.