HX–37 / TXT–DT–01
INHALO® BIO-BASED AIR FILTER
archived in
2045
Function
Genetically optimized moss-based air purification ecosystem
This compact filtration system harnessed gene-edited moss to clean air through biofiltration. Engineered with CRISPR-Cas9, the moss exhibited heightened metabolic activity, enhanced protein expression and accelerated pollutant uptake—enabling it to capture and neutralize airborne pathogens, allergens and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) without synthetic inputs or mechanical replacements.
Originally deployed in industrial and clinical settings, the InHalo® relied solely on ambient airflow and low-light conditions, making it ideal for continuous operation in sensitive environments like factories, large office spaces, hospitals, long-term care homes and schools.
As one of the first industrial-grade “living technologies,” it marked a critical shift from sterile purification to biologically integrated design where nature itself became the infrastructure for cleanliness and care.
curator’s note
THIS WAS NOT A DEVICE YOU TURNED ON. IT WAS SOMETHING YOU SHARED SPACE WITH. INHALO® CHALLENGED THE INDUSTRIAL OBSESSION WITH STERILITY BY SHOWING THAT CLEAN COULD ALSO MEAN ALIVE. IT WAS A FILTER YOU DIDN’T JUST USE, BUT A CRITICAL COMPANION IN MAKING A SPACE HEALTHY FOR INHABITANTS.
Divergence from present
How radically this artifact departs from current healthcare norms, systems, or societal expectations.
Scale:
1 = Feels like today
10 = Requires a major paradigm shift
Mainstream adoption
How widely the artifact appears to have been adopted in its own speculative future.
Scale:
1 = Rare/fringe/experimental
10 = Wide/normalized
When biological systems are embedded in every aspect of human life are you designing for performance—or for resilience?
Increasingly, we’re not just operating in an industry, but in an ecology. This artifact reveals a shift in what will be demanded of businesses in the future.
How do you lead in a world where the bottom line isn’t profit—but the pursuit of clean air, clean data and clean supply chains?
What this demands of us
CURATORS
Heather Benoit is Director of Foresight and Innovation Design at Langrand, where she helps organizations imagine, design and make decisions in the present to realize more resilient futures. With a background in biomedical engineering and systems design, she combines analytical rigor with creative strategy.
Denise Worrell leads the Transformation and Experience Design practices at Langrand, using foresight and design to help organizations anticipate and navigate change. She also serves as an adjunct professor of foresight at the University of Houston and on the Design in Health Advisory Council at UT Austin.
INFO
This archive isn’t about forecasting the future—it’s about shaping it. Each artifact is a tool to spark conversation, challenge assumptions and stretch the imagination around what feels possible. Some feel likely. Others push the edge.
Designed for teams navigating complexity, these provocations help surface blind spots, shift perspectives and drive more intentional decision-making. They’re meant to question dominant narratives, fuel collective imagination and co-create systems that are not just improved, but radically redesigned with people at the center.
These artifacts aren’t about certainty—they’re starting points, an invitation to imagine boldly and lead like the future depends on it. Because foresight isn’t about guessing what’s next, it’s about choosing the future you want to build and beginning that work now.