Dyson Face Mask Headphone

British vacuum cleaner manufacturer Dyson has unveiled a prototype of the Dyson Zone Bluetooth headphones with a built-in air purifier and noise cancellation. Dyson has created a hybrid of headphones and masks for air filtration.

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Dyson Zone is designed to protect urban residents not only from unwanted noise, but also from polluted air filled with gases, allergens and dust particles. Filtered air is supplied to the face through a special device, similar to a helmet visor or a medical mask.

Air pollution and noise levels in large cities and metropolitan areas are significantly higher than normal. That's why Dyson decided six years ago to start developing a device that would benefit city dwellers. Over the six years, more than 500 prototypes have been created, and finally, the miracle gadget was presented to the public.

Dyson Zone, according to the company, filters up to 99 percent of contaminants. The air is sucked in by a compressor and directed through two-layer filters to the nose and mouth with the help of a "mask". This mask is attached to the headphones with magnetic fasteners and can be removed if desired. Four air purification modes are available - low, medium, high and automatic.

The noise reduction function works in three modes - isolation, conversation and transparency. The first mode provides the strongest noise reduction, the second is needed while talking on the phone, when you take off the mask (at this moment, the filtering fans are turned off), the third makes it possible to hear all sounds from the outside, if you need it.

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“Air pollution is a global problem. It touches us everywhere we go,” said Jake Dyson, the company's chief engineer and son of the company's founder and billionaire entrepreneur, Sir James Dyson. And unlike face masks, it blasts fresh air without touching the face, using high-efficiency filters and two miniature air pumps.”

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Compressors in each ear force air through built-in filters that trap the smallest particles. The filters capture 99% of particles as small as 0.1 microns, including pollen, dust and bacteria, as well as viruses. The filters have been successfully tested on two viruses — bacteriophage MS2 and influenza H1N1 — but not on coronaviruses like SARS-CoV-2, Dyson said. The potassium rich carbon layer traps gases such as nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nine out of ten people around the world breathe air that contains pollutants that exceed established limits. In addition, more 100 million people in Europe are also exposed to long-term exposure to noise above recommended levels. It is estimated that more than 100 million people, about 20 percent of the European population, are exposed to long-term noise exposure in excess of WHO recommendations.

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During the tests, Dyson engineers used breathing dummies equipped with medical-grade mechanical lungs and sensory equipment to "breathe" pollution that mimics human breathing. The Dyson Zone, the company's first wearable device, will go on sale in the Autumn 2022, although pricing has yet to be confirmed.