How healthy is your home? Delos Australia’s Anthony Scarff discusses the launch of exciting new technology in Australia
The future of our homes continues to evolve as innovations in smart and green technologies shape the way our living environments are designed. International wellness intelligence company Delos identified a gap in the market to create a product which complimented smart and green systems but primarily focused on a health and wellness product. After launching their new cutting-edge technology system 'DARWIN', the product gained global success and has now reached the Australian market – commencing installation in new builds in both Sydney and Melbourne. We had a chat to Delos Australia's Managing Director, Anthony Scarff about how DARWIN works, and what the benefits are for consumers.
Urban.com.au: Firstly, what sets DARWIN apart from any other wellness technology company on the market currently?
Anthony Scarff: DARWIN is the world’s first wellness intelligence network designed to mitigate environmental concerns across the home, as a holistic ecosystem it is the only one of its kind in the market which looks after the entire home. DARWIN is designed to monitor, calibrate, and respond to changing environmental conditions within across the home to help regulate energy levels, and sleep quality, and enhance overall health and well-being of its occupants.
Through years of rigorous laboratory research and collaborations with leading architects, engineers, scientists and health professionals, Delos presents evidence-based solutions designed to enhance health, performance, and well-being in the residential environment.
Working with Mayo Clinic, Harvard Sleep School, Cleveland Clinic and more recently Monash University ensure our DARWIN solution directly addresses the very real health concerns inside the home.
U: What are some of the key health issues which our homes face (including new apartments) that people should be aware of?
AS: Extensive research told us that the home environment can have a profound impact–either negative or positive–on wellness. That prompted our founders to ask: what if there was a scientifically-supported way to improve the health and well-being of our homes?
On average, we spend about 90% of our lives indoors. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that genetics account for as little as 10-15 per cent of overall health outcomes, while 70 per cent of our health is determined by our physical and social environments. So, if we are spending over 90% of our lives indoors, we understand that the quality of our indoor air, water and light can undermine even our best efforts to maintain a healthier lifestyle. Indoor environments can influence almost every aspect of our lives, from our energy levels and sleep quality to our moods and how productive we are throughout the day.
From an AIR perspective
Indoor air quality can be up to five times worse than outdoors. Pollens and other allergens infiltrate the home environment, as do toxins and pathogens, which are emitted from material and furnishings. Even seemingly innocuous elements like odours can affect human emotions and sleep quality.
From a WATER perspective
Microscopic contaminants (like lead and chlorine) and additives can be present in our tap water, affecting the taste, odour and ‘hardness’ of our water. When ingested, contaminated water can affect many body systems, including digestive, cardiovascular, respiratory, nervous, urinary, and integumentary systems.
From a LIGHT perspective
We evolved with the natural lighting rhythms of the sun. These regular cycles of light and dark are critical to our health and well-being. Unfortunately, modern living often disrupts our natural circadian rhythm (a 24-hour biological process that dictates our sleep-wake cycle) and in turn, can have a negative effect on our comfort, mood and alertness. Since we spend approximately around one- -third of our lives sleeping, quality sleep is a key determinant of our well-being.
U: What methods does the system use to purify the air?
AS: Indoor air pollution is considered one of the greatest concerns of our generation. Unlike a dirty glass of water or spoiled food, polluted air often goes unnoticed, but it can negatively affect our health and well-being in both the short and long term. With microscopic particulate matter and allergens infiltrating our homes, and toxins and pathogens habitually emitted from household material and furnishings, indoor air pollution is considered a top five environmental health risk across the globe.
DARWIN Responsive Air Purification transforms your home into a healthier ecosystem by targeting contaminants, toxins, pathogens and offensive odours, as well as pollen and other triggers for asthma and allergies. Our high- efficiency air purification system functions independently from existing mechanical systems to effectively reduce air pollutants such as particulate matter and volatile organic compounds. The user-friendly interface is designed to monitor and track air quality both inside and outside the home.
DARWIN Responsive Air Purification intelligently and efficiently target particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, allergens, pathogens, and other air pollutants. The process is made up of the following innovations:
Air Purification: DARWIN employs a three-stage filtration process including a pre-filter, HEPA/MERV 13 filter, and a high capacity activated carbon filter.
Air Quality Sensor: Discreet sensors continually monitor and measure concentrations of five critical air pollutants in order to empower users with status updates on the conditions in their home.
Outdoor Air Quality Data: External sensors provide an index on outdoor air pollutants, along with 12-hour forecasts and heat maps of local air quality.
U: How does each facet of the DARWIN system work and how can it be used most effectively?
AS: DARWIN Responsive Air Purification intelligently and efficiently target particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, allergens, pathogens, and other air pollutants.
- Reduces Pollen & Allergens: targeting particulate matter that enters the home from outside air delivers fresher and cleaner air throughout your home.
- Targets Toxins & Pathogens: volatile organic compounds from household materials and furnishings can have both short and long-term health impacts.
- Expels Odours: offensive odours can affect your emotions and sleep. Eliminating them can improve your mood, reduce stress and enhance overall well-being.
- Responsive Purification: continuous air quality monitoring technology enables the DARWIN network to adjust to fluctuating conditions across the home.
DARWIN Restorative Lighting mirrors natural sunlight patterns to promote your circadian rhythm, which helps regulate your energy levels, hormonal balance, appetite, productivity, and sleep quality.
- Wake Naturally: Dawn Simulation, our uniquely calibrated lighting sequence that mirrors the rising sun, will wake you gently from a deep night’s sleep.
- Jump Start Your Day: Say goodbye to groggy mornings with our capacitive touch Energising Mirror. A bright light has a powerful effect on your body’s circadian rhythm. An energising light in your bathroom mirror emits a bright, white light that helps energise you for the day ahead and provides warm light in the evening to help you wind down.
- Energise Your Day: Our bright daytime lighting is designed to help stimulate your mind and energised, and to enhance focus and productivity during the day.
- Relax & Unwind: Our evening lighting creates a warm, welcoming environment to help prepare your mind and body for restfulness and relaxation.
- Sleep Deeply: Subtle night lighting and minimised sleep disturbance help promote a supportive sleep environment for deep, uninterrupted rest.
DARWIN Water Filtration uses best-in-class filtration technologies that are customised through on-site water testing, third-party laboratory analysis, and historical regional data.
- Cleaner Water: Filtration helps reduce iron rust, particles, heavy metals, chlorine taste and odour, for fresher and cleaner water at select taps or across your home.
- Savings for You & the Planet: Filtered water is more cost effective than bottled water and reduces the environmental impact on our landfills.
- Great Tasting Water: Carbon filtration helps reduce chlorine taste and odour, providing fresher, cleaner and better-tasting water.
The network can be used most effectively when it is passively integrated with The wellness brain to communicate with DARWIN elements, from purified air to natural light patterns, to help optimise your home as a wellness ecosystem.
U: How can circadian lighting solutions mitigate a lack of productivity?
AS: Light has a powerful effect on our bodies and moods, including energy levels, cognitive function and alertness, and the sleep-wake cycle. Light regulates our circadian rhythm, which synchronizes many aspects of our physiology, metabolism and behaviour, including our appetite, sleep, energy and productivity. Today, we spend most of our time indoors with insufficient lighting or prolonged exposure to artificial light. After generations of evolution, our body clocks still rely on the natural rhythm of sunlight to regulate our sleep cycle.
DARWIN Restorative Lighting mirrors natural sunlight patterns to promote your circadian rhythm, which helps regulate your energy levels, hormonal balance, appetite, productivity, and sleep quality.
U: Can my home be retrospectively fit with DARWIN technology if it hasn’t already been installed during construction?
AS: Although this is not our current focus, all DARWIN products and technology has been developed for simple integration at any stage of the building process. Our current focus is working with developers and homebuilders - with plans to move into the retrofit market later in the year.
U: What does the future of DARWIN technology look like? Are there any other features which are likely to be implemented?
AS: We are constantly working toward making DARWIN customer focused, looking to integrate with other companies to make the customer experience as easy as possible - for example working with Google Home to allow consumers with home automation to integrate with DARWIN is a constant focus. Why build homes just so they’re good for the environment? Why not build them so they’re good for people, too? It’s all about preventive intentions, and it could be a game-changer. A smart home isn’t smart if it isn’t healthy - and this where DARWIN can make a real difference in the market