Archive notice: This article was originally published on February 28, 2008. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
British researchers have developed a system that allows users to monitor their “carbon footprint” while travelling, according to pressetext. Carbon Hero uses a mobile sensor to determine how much carbon dioxide (CO2) is released by a journey and allows the data to be checked directly on a mobile phone. The system uses satellite navigation technology for this purpose. Once the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Galileo system is completed, Carbon Hero is intended to deliver even more accurate results.
“With Carbon Hero, it is easy to calculate your own carbon footprint,” says Andreas Zachariah, the system’s inventor. A sensor the size of a key ring uses satellite navigation data and combines it with speed and movement patterns to infer the mode of transport being used. The data are transferred via Bluetooth to a mobile phone, where Carbon Hero’s Java-based software analyses them. In combination with database information, including figures on the environmental impact of various modes of transport from the British Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the system determines a journey’s carbon footprint. Users can view various analyses on the phone’s display, including for longer periods.
“We have now tested our application with GPS, and it has proved very efficient,” Zachariah states. Subsequently, the Galileo satellite navigation system is to supply Carbon Hero with more accurate position data when it enters full operation. According to current ESA information, this is scheduled for 2013. On the mobile phone side, the system is to become as platform-independent as possible. “It has already been tested on the Nokia platform, and we are now moving on to Blackberry,” reports Nick Burch, Zachariah’s project partner.
In 2007, Carbon Hero received an award in the European Satellite Navigation Competion, supported by the ESA Technology Transfer Programme, as well as a Sustainability Design Award from the British Standards Institute. Zachariah and Burch have applied for a patent for the invention and aim to be ready for a large-scale beta test of Carbon Hero with a corporate partner by April 2008. The ability to document CO2 emissions caused by business travel in particular is intended to appeal to companies.
Further information:
- Carbon Hero
ESA
