Air pollution is a serious health problem and crisis in many densely populated cities and countries. We’ve all see pictures of people in places such as Beijing and India where the air is so filled with smog it looks like billowing smoke. But Dutch designer/artist Daan Roosegaarde’s air purifying Smog Free Tower could be a real game changer.

This patented technology, based around indoor air purifier technology, will act like the world’s biggest vacuum cleaner, sucking up all the carbon dioxide and air pollution and producing clean air bubbles in public spaces. The tower, a 23 foot system that filters the surrounding air, will first be built in Rotterdam. Roosegaarde recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund this innovative venture. With days yet to go, the campaign has already far exceeded its funding expectations.

As a great “take-away”, Roosegaarde plans to compress the collected smog particles and create fashionable high-end jewelry. After all, Nature’s compressed carbon results in diamonds. For women there will be Smog Free Rings; for men, Smog Free Cufflinks.

Construction of the 1st tower is imminent. Potential future build sites include Los Angeles, Beijing, Paris and Mexico City – three cities known for their issues with air pollution.This kind of innovation, if adopted by large cities around the world, would go along way to making the air a lot easier to breathe. It’s not the only answer but it’s definitely a really good one.