Filtering the air has become a pretty hot topic over recent years, given the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on the world. Razer previously turned heads after unveiling an RGB air filtering face mask, but it's not the only tech company working on the idea.
Dyson, the company perhaps best known for its vacuum cleaners and bladeless fans, has now introduced its plans to release a combination set of headphones and an air filter. It's designed with the idea of filtering out dangerous toxins and particulates while people are out and about, while allowing them to also listen to their favorite tunes.
The Dyson Zone, as it's called, is a set of high quality headphones with active noise cancellation technology built-in. The headphones seal firmly around the ears, while a microphone listens to the sound around them and neutralizes the audio before it can reach the user. However, the unique aspect about these headphones is a small mouthpiece that connects to and extends from the base of the headphones.
This mouthpiece is designed to provide clean, filtered air to the user. It pulls in air through a filtration system in the ear cup and then pushes that air out over the user's face, which should theoretically make it easier to breathe than wearing a traditional face mask. One of the things setting the Dyson Zone apart from other masks and personal air filtering systems, though, is that this one doesn't touch the mouth or nose at all. The rigid mouthpiece sits directly in front of the nose and mouth, but doesn't make contact, which should help those who feel overwhelmed by traditional masks to feel more comfortable in this.
It's worth noting that nowhere in the information for the Dyson Zone is COVID-19 referenced, nor are other viral infections. The Dyson Zone has been in development for six years, long before the pandemic came into being. The headset seems to have been primarily intended for filtering out things like pollution particulates, allergens, and other common factors that reduce air quality. With pollution becoming an increasing problem in metropolitan areas and wildfires becoming more prevalent in some places like the United States' west coast, it's plain to see how this could still have potential to offer users even once COVID-19 is just part of history.
At this point in time, there's no information on how much the Dyson Zone will cost or when it's going to release. Dyson is accepting sign-ups so that users can be the first to know when it's coming out, but for now, they'll need to be patient. However, after so many years quietly in development, it's likely fair to say that this announcement means Dyson is very close to producing the product, so it could be in users' hands as early as the end of the year.
Source: Dyson