Let’s skip the pre-amble; we live in a world where everyone has to wear masks now, and for the foreseeable future.
So we have to wear masks now, but most of these tend to be simple cloth or material masks that while do protect from infection – or at least lessen the risk – they aren’t exactly smart, are they.
Enter LG – which earlier in the year announced a wearable Air Purifier mask. Or as I am going to call it, Mask 2.0.
The Smart Mask
Now, let’s talk about the design. It’s far bigger than a regular mask and – as one of my friends put it – looks like two iPods taped to a pair of underpants that you fasten to your face. Oh, and because it’s so big and bulky it can be quite hard to talk with it on.
Effectively, the Korean company managed to take one of its regular-sized air purifiers and shrink it down to a face friendly size. It is a portable version of its PuriCare brand of home air purifiers – but unlike those this one pulls double-duty – it will both block unwanted materials while also ventilate your face.
It works via two H13 HEPA filters – which is the same type that is used in LG’s Air Purifiers. They supposedly block 99.95 per cent of airborne viruses and bacteria. You also get dual fans – yes, two of them – to regulate filtered air and help the wearer breath.
Those fans are actually genius, as they speed up and slow down when you need them. There are three settings – depending on how much air you require, say if you are walking quickly or jogging – controlled via a little button on the side.
Of course, this means that Mask 2.0 needs power to run. That is handled by a built-
In rechargeable 820 MAH battery and USB-C cable. It also comes with a UVnano sanitation case, which LG says will further sanitize and kill bacteria on the outside of the mask.
Real-world performance
In the real world, it’s excellent. Although, you will have to put up with quite a lot of second glances while you wear the mask. And then there’s the biggest niggle we have, and that’s around the back.
The mask itself effectively sticks to your face via a soft silicon inner cover that has a second layer of protection. Now that attaches via magnets and a little clip at the bottom. The problem we had was that it kept falling out. And case in point… I have no idea where this one has gone to.
So if you do plan on picking one of these up, be very careful about losing that inner thing because right now we have no idea how to find a replacement for it – save for buying an entirely new mask.
And then there’s the cost. Compared to a regular mask, this one is considerably more expensive. It costs around US$200 (or AED700 to be exact). On the one hand, that’s a lot more than a regular cloth mask but on the other, this one can be reused almost indefinitely.
We think that it’s a tad overkill, but we do know that some people – especially those concerned with protecting themselves – will certainly buy it, and probably find it indispensable.
The LG Puricare Air Purifier is available now. For more information, go here.
