Dyson has launched its first ever set of Bluetooth headphones, and people are struggling to believe it's not an early April Fools joke.
The newly revealed Dyson Zone is a pair of noise-cancelling headphones, attached to the headphones is a visor through which wearers can breathe purified air through.
For a company best known for its vacuum cleaners and hairdryers, its a bit of a step into the unknown for Dyson, which says its newest product took six years and more than 500 prototypes to develop.
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And despite the face mask-style visor – which does flip down and detach to avoid getting in the way of conversations – Dyson says the product was not designed with Covid-19 in mind, but instead is aimed at people living in cities looking for a way to reduce the effects of air pollution.
"Air pollution is a global problem – it affects us everywhere we go. In our homes, at school, at work and as we travel, whether on foot, on a bike or by public or private transport," said chief engineer Jake Dyson in a press release. "The Dyson Zone purifies the air you breathe on the move. And unlike face masks, it delivers a plume of fresh air without touching your face."
The headphones, which quite frankly fly in the face of the efforts of other major tech companies to make headphones as lightweight and unobtrusive as possible, are incredibly bulky, with the company admitting that the device is heavy compared to other products on the market.
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The product includes a motor, compressor fan and air purifying dual-layer filter in each ear cup, which Dyson says works to clean air of 99% of particles, before feeding it through the visor and creating a pocket of clean air for the wearer to breathe.
The smart device – Dyson's first wearable product – comes with a number of sensors that are used to monitor the intensity of the air flow and the quality of the surrounding air.
Dyson says the filters in the ear cups should last for around 12 months in most European cities, although users living in more heavily polluted places will have to change them more regularly.
If you're interested in taking to the streets looking like a cross between Bane and Hannibal Lector, the Dyson Zone is expected to go on sale this autumn, with the product set to be priced at between £500 and £1,000.
Topics: Technology
Hannah Smith