DYSON has launched a brand new product like no other – a pair of headphones that double up as an air filter mask.
We’re all pretty familiar with our mouths being covered due to the coronavirus, but the Dyson Zone takes things to a whole new level.
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The Sun was granted a rare early hands-on with the vacuuming giant’s latest wild invention ahead of release, to find out what it’s like and what on Earth it’s for.
First things first, this wasn’t made with Covid-19 in mind – it was actually in the works years before the pandemic came along.
The core focus is on helping people breathe clean air, free of ever-mounting pollution, particularly in busy cities.
So what better way than to pack tiny motors into the headphone cans?
It’s a bold idea putting something so potentially noisy right next your ears, but Dyson is obsessed with engines and sound.
They’ve managed to make it so quiet that when you have music playing you can’t hear any nasty external sounds.
And given that this is Dyson’s first audio product, the sound quality itself seems to be very good – although we only got a brief moment to test it, we’d need a bit longer to put the sound truly through its paces.
The other big concern is, surely all of that tech power is quite heavy?
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Well, no, thankfully – sure, it feels a bit heavier than your usual set of headphones but this isn’t overly weighty at all.
The earcups themselves are extremely comfortable too, as well as the headband along the top, with a premium cushion material.
So what is the air like?
It’s a strangely enjoyable experience that feels like you’ve got an AC dedicated to your mouth.
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Dyson says it can capture 99 per cent of particle pollution, such as dust, pollen and bacteria.
And although it wasn’t designed with Covid-19 in mind, those who remain concerned about the virus will be wondering whether it protects you from it.
The answer from Dyson is… we don’t know.
Engineers haven’t actually tested it against the virus itself to see.
But the device has been tested on tiny particles as small as 0.1 microns, the same size of a Covid-19 particle, so it should theoretically work.
The mouth covering is actually detachable with magnets, so you don’t have to take the air all the time.
You can also lower it if you’re talking to someone or taking a drink.
The air filtration comes in four modes: low, medium, high and auto.
Despite a very futuristic look – something between Daft Punk and Batman foe Bane – I struggle to picture people wearing this out in public without getting odd looks.
There is obviously a real need in some overly polluted cities and I’m sure some buyers will jump at it for this reason.
But without a price tag just yet, it’s even harder to predict whether the average Joe will want one.
That said, we all know Dyson products aren’t cheap.
We’re told the Dyson Zone will be released on Dyson’s website sometime in autumn depending on your country.
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
