In an increasingly crowded market of electronic wearable devices, Dyson also arrives. It does so with the usual originality of the English brand, even if this time the invention does not come from James, the progenitor, but from his son Jake (who already owes some excellent smart lamps). And the Dyson Zones are anyone who hates humanity’s dream: a mix of noise-canceling headphones and air-purifying mask. This way unpleasant sounds and smells will be a distant memory.
“Air pollution is a global problem,” explains Dyson junior. “It affects us wherever we go. In our homes, at school, at work and while we travel, whether on foot, by bicycle or by public or private transport. Dyson Zone purifies the air you breathe while you are on the move. Unlike face masks, it delivers a stream of purified air without any contact with the face, using high-performance filters and two miniature air ducts. “
A long search
The Dyson Zone air purification headphones are the result of Dyson’s thirty years of experience in the study of air flows, filtration and motors and in-depth research on indoor and outdoor air quality. The compressors – positioned on the sides of the hoods – suck in the external air, which is then purified through double-layer filters. Two streams of purified air are then projected through the visor towards the nose and mouth. The visor design has been designed so that the purified airflow is as close to the nose and mouth as possible, thus preventing it from being contaminated by external cross winds. In addition, Dyson Zone offers a rich and immersive audio system, with advanced active noise cancellation (ANC), low distortion of sound and optimal frequency response for high fidelity audio.
The Dyson Zones – explains the English company – have drastically evolved during the six years of development: originally they had the appearance of a device similar to a mouthpiece, combined with a backpack to contain the motor and internal mechanisms. The engine, initially positioned on the nape of the neck, after more than 500 prototypes was converted into two compressors in the auricles and the mouthpiece became a visor, which constantly projects clean air on the mouth and nose without direct contact with the face. An electrostatic filter traps ultra-fine particles such as allergens, brake dust, industrial and construction site combustion residues, while a potassium-enriched carbon layer captures urban polluting gases such as NO2 and SO2.
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A scientific approach
Dyson Zone is the English company’s first foray into the world of audio, and once again the approach is scientific, using the best technologies on the market, for example for neodymium transducers, capable of offering a wide frequency response and distortion of sound significantly below what can be detected by the human ear.
Dyson engineers then developed a noise canceling system that takes advantage of the passive attenuation offered by the over-the-ear cups and the ANC. Automatic Noise Cancellation was born with Bose headphones for airplane pilots, today it is a technology adopted in thousands of headphones and earphones. The mechanism is simple and ingenious: one or more microphones record external sounds and an electronic circuit generates an equal and opposite acoustic signal. Ideally, the sum would correspond to absolute silence, but in reality many factors worsen the result, so the noise cancellation works perfectly on low and prolonged frequencies, while it has almost no impact on speech. In the case of Dyson Zones, then, the ANC must also act on the noise produced by the two motors. As on many other normal headphones, here too you can choose between different modes: Immersive, Conversation and Transparency. The first is the maximum level of active noise cancellation, ideal when you need to focus. Conversation mode is activated when the visor is removed: purification is automatically deactivated to conserve battery and converse more easily. The Transparency mode, on the other hand, is designed to allow you to hear the outside world, amplifying key noises such as sirens or announcements.
The Zone headphones connect via bluetooth to a smartphone or computer, not only for the transmission of the audio signal, but also to collect data on substance and noise pollution, which are then recorded in the Dyson Link app.
Competition
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The lesson of the horse
Detailed research into head and face geometries allowed the engineers to measure how the Dyson Zones would fit and function on different physical conformations, allowing them to precisely define the clamping force of the headband, the design and materials of the visor, the machine adjustability and much more.
Taking inspiration from the shape and design of a horse’s saddle, Dyson Zone is designed to distribute weight on the sides of the head, not the top. Typically the saddle curves over the horse’s spine, distributing the load through contact to the left and right. The same format was used for the center pad on the headband.
Ear cushion development is important for three reasons: comfort, head stability, and passive attenuation. Foam is an obvious choice for ear cushions, but Dyson engineers have studied the composition of different foams to choose the most suitable material based on density, compression rate and rate of return. Once we found the optimal foam for the ear cups and the headband, it was important to balance the comfort, the stability when modeling on the ear, but above all the acoustic benefit. The cushion is purposely flatter than conventional ear cushions, for both noise reduction and comfort. Finally, the cushions are in line with the angle of the ear for optimal comfort.
Availability
To completely isolate yourself from the rest of the world, however, you will have to wait a few more months: the Zones will be available online and at the Dyson Demo Stores from autumn 2022; the price has not yet been announced, but it is to be expected that it will be high.
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