In the months since the coronavirus pandemic began, a raft of new face masks has come to the consumer market. Some are stylish; at least one will translate your words into other languages. But all are meant to limit the spread of the Covid-19 virus. Now, LG is offering a face mask that promises to protect you even more. That’s because it’s not only a protective filter; it purifies the air you breathe.
Unveiled on Thursday, the South Korean tech giant’s PuriCare Wearable Air Purifier is a light-weight face covering equipped with two H13 HEPA filters to help protect you from airborne pathogens. And it isn’t just some conceptual prototype, either; the company intends to start selling the battery-powered device by the end of the year.
The PuriCare Wearable Air Purifier was designed to solve two major face covering-related problems that have arisen during the pandemic: the inconsistency of home-made masks and the scarcity of disposable, medical-grade masks. In an attempt to address these issues, the company has developed a reusable device that includes a pair of air filters, along with two fans, to purify the air you breathe through it. The fans are controlled by a “respiratory sensor” that measures the speed and volume of your breathing and adjusts their speed accordingly. This helps ensure that wearing the covering doesn’t add any extra burden to breathing.
The high-tech mask was designed with long-term, day-to-day use in mind. LG claims it can work for up to eight hours on low-power mode (and two on high-power) thanks to a rechargeable 820mAh battery. You don’t have to worry about cleaning the device either, as it comes with storage case equipped ultraviolet LED lights to clean its surface while it’s charging.
LG’s PuriCare Wearable Air Purifier LG
“The PuriCare Wearable Air Purifier is an exciting addition to our growing lineup of products designed to deliver meaningful health and hygiene benefits,” said Dan Song, the president of the company’s home appliances division. “At a time when consumers are seeking ways to make life safer and more convenient, it’s important that we’re able to offer solutions that add measurable value.”
LG is expected announce pricing for the wearable air purifier next month. As for a release date, the company says the mask will go on sale in “select” markets in the fourth quarter of this year.
