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A breath of fresh air!

Posted on: 01-19-2023 by Floor Covering Media

Is this a detachable air-purifying facemask or noise canceling headphones? It’s actually both. The Dyson Zone is a useful device that protects its users from air and noise pollutants! Air and noise quality, monitored using an app on your phone, conveniently alerts the user about the surrounding environment. People with health concerns about pollution will consider it a necessity. Why?

The headphones protect your ears from loud sounds during the commute. Noise pollution is a serious problem. An estimated 90% of New York City mass transit users are exposed to noise levels exceeding the decibel limit.

They also deliver high fidelity, immersive audio with ultra-low distortion and a broad frequency range for clarity across bass, mids and highs. It incorporates another microphone for phone calls, voice recording and voice control. This microphone combines with the feed forward ANC microphone to provide dual microphone beamforming. Beamforming creates greater clarity of voice transmission by combining the signals from each microphone in a way that allows the system to reject noise from behind and to the sides of the wearer.

The facemask works with hidden compressors that are within each of the headphone’s two earpieces, which purifies the air through two layers of filters, before it is redirected to the nose and mouth; a feature that delivers high-level filtration in real-world conditions for those with concerns about their health. Approximately 190 million commuters use the subway and other forms of mass transit. Is the air purified in these facilities? Unlikely! This means most of them must breathe a mixture of pollutants during the trip to and from work, such as particulate matter (PM2.5 & PM10), which in some cities may reach higher amounts in underground areas compared to amounts at street level. Could these elevated levels be a burden for people with respiratory issues?

Air pollution may be a troubling matter when commuting to work using mass transit systems (buses, trains, taxi cabs), traveling abroad or traversing the city, especially when the air quality at your location is considered to be poor.

The filtration system and air delivery mechanism within the Dyson Zone are engineered to tackle such tasks. There are precision-engineered compressors, spinning at up to 9,750 rpm, which draw air through the dual-layer filters. Negatively charged, electrostatic filter media captures ultrafine particles such as allergens, and particles from sources such as brake dust, industry combustion and construction to an efficiency of 99% for particles as small as 0.1 microns. These minute particles are cause for concern and investment in researching their long-term impact on health continues. A second layer, K-Carbon, is a potassium-enriched carbon layer which specifically captures city gas pollutants like NO2, SO2 and O3, as well as nasty city odors, like construction fumes, sewage or stale air in metro systems. The air filters for this headwear should last you for up to 12 months. Of course this time frame may vary depending on your geographical location.

This device was not developed for Covid-19, as the concept for this project was devised years ago before the outbreak. Yet the filters in the Dyson Zone can capture particles that are as small as one tenth of a micron. The level of air filtration efficiency is equal to an N-95 mask according to the company.

What’s the catch? It’s the price! At about one thousand dollars each ($949.00), it isn’t disposable. The Dyson Zone will be available for pre-order by appointment only in the US beginning in March 2023. Shortly therafter, it will be available to buy either online at Dyson.com or at Dyson's Demo stores.

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