The experience
Cooper's Clean Air Quest is a single-player virtual reality game the City of Cupertino commissioned to make invisible air pollution tangible for residents — especially children and families. Guided by a home-upgrade robot mascot named Cooper, players have seven minutes to track down and remove carbon monoxide from a 1960s house, using a set of Carbon Vision Goggles to see the otherwise-invisible gas and a futuristic CO vacuum to clear it.
Purpose
The game is part of Cupertino's environmental and climate-action outreach. By turning carbon-monoxide safety and home electrification into playful, hands-on gameplay — complete with educational pop-ups and three possible mission outcomes — the city aims to leave a lasting impression about cleaner, healthier homes.
Build and deployment
The experience was designed and developed by XR studio YORD in Unity for the Meta Quest 2 and Quest 3 standalone headsets, and funded by Silicon Valley Clean Energy. It launched at Cupertino's Earth & Arbor Day Festival in April 2025 and now travels to local schools, festivals and educational centers, where it can be requested for events.
Recognition
Cooper's Clean Air Quest won Best Societal Impact at the 2026 Auggie Awards, Augmented World Expo's recognition of XR projects that deliver measurable public good.
