- Environmental pollution is related to the development of more than 50 diseases.
- The WHO ensures that pollution is responsible for the death of 6 million people each year.
- These new headphones also contain electrostatic filters that capture 99% of polluting particles in the environment.
Technology reinvents itself every day in all areas. Innovations that have different purposes and even combine functions are constantly appearing. In fact, since the start of the pandemic, creations that combine health with entertainment have become common. The most recent case consists of the The world’s first headphones that not only offer an immersive listening experience but also have an air purifier included.
Following six years of research and development, the headphones offer up to 50 hours of ultra-low distortion, advanced noise cancellation, and faithful, full-spectrum audio reproduction. They were developed by Dyson Zone™ and stand out because they also capture 99% of particle contamination down to 0.1 microns. While potassium-enriched carbon K-Carbon filters target the prevalent acid gases most associated with urban pollution, including nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulfur dioxide (SO2).
The problem of urban pollution
More than half of the global population lives in cities and the number is estimated to increase to seven out of 10 people by 2050. While the urban population grows, the infrastructure -transportation, construction, traffic- also grows, which impact our environment, polluting the air and generating noise.
“The Dyson Zone™ provide advanced active noise cancellation combined with purified air, when you need it, along with intelligent detection and monitoring of your own environment. It also allows Dyson to monitor air pollution levels both indoors and outdoors in real time,” said Jake Dyson, Dyson’s Chief Engineer.
In Mexico City, the Ministry of the Environment (Sedema) established a maximum of 65 decibels of noise between 6 am and 8 pm, and 62 the rest of the time. However, there are areas where there are higher levels. The main cause of the noise pollution are the almost five million cars that circulate daily. In many geographies, local man-made pollution is not the biggest threat: in Europe, Western Asia and Africa, the main source of air pollution, according to the United Nations Environment Program, is airborne dust. wind.
The air purifying headphones They are born from 30 years of experience in airflow, filtration, motor technology and a deep understanding of indoor and outdoor air quality. A compressor in each hearing aid draws air through the dual-layer filter, projecting it in two streams of purified air into the user’s nose and mouth, channeled through the removable, contactless visor.
For his part, electrostatic filters capture 99% of contaminant particles as small as 0.1 microns, while K-Carbon, and potassium-enriched carbon filters deal with acid gases that are associated with city pollution.
They were also designed to deliver immersive, high-fidelity audio with ultra-low distortion and a wide frequency range for clarity across the lows, mids, and highs. They also incorporate an extra microphone for telephony, allowing the entry of calls, voice recording and voice control. They use a beam form system that improves the quality of voice transmission by combining the signals from each microphone in a way that allows the system to reject noise behind and to the sides of the user.
With an advanced lithium-ion battery and USB-C charging, these headphones offer 50 hours of autonomy in audio mode1, or 4 hours in combined audio and air purification mode. The charging time is 3 hours.
High level air filtration under real conditions
Worldwide, an average of 190 million people travel by metro, exposing passengers to a mix of pollutants such as particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), which in some cities can reach higher levels than on foot street. Tackling the problem of city air pollution is a complex and very specific job that Dyson engineers have studied for years, managing to devise innovative solutions that solve this problem whether we are commuting to work, traveling by plane or walking by the city.
The filtration system and air supply mechanism is specifically designed to address such tasks. Precision-engineered compressors, rotating at up to 9,750 rpm, draw air through double-layer filters. The negatively charged electrostatic filter media captures ultrafine particles, such as allergens, and particles from sources such as brake dust, industrial combustion, and construction, with 99% efficiency for particles as small as 0.1 microns2.
For now, these innovative headphones will go on sale in January 2023. While this creation reaffirms the interest in health that technology companies have and the way in which it can be combined with other aspects such as entertainment.
Also read:
World Earth Day: Environmental pollution causes 6 million deaths a year
INFOGRAPHIC: The Impact of Air Pollution on Global Health
Environmental pollution could increase the risk of neurodegenerative diseases