LG has officially announced a portable air purifier that you can wear on your face like a mask. The PuriCare Wearable Air Purifier uses a pair of replaceable filters similar to what you would find in LG’s range of home air purifiers, and combines them with battery-powered fans to keep you breathing. LG says that the device has sensors to detect when you inhale or exhale, and adjusts the speed of the fans accordingly.
Today’s announcement prior to IFA 2020 does not explicitly mention the COVID-19 pandemic, but it does mean that the mask was developed in response. The company says the portable air purifier is designed to replace the “inconsistent” homemade masks by some people, such as the disposable masks it says have been in short supply.
Back in July, when LG first announced the mask and said they would donate 2,000 of the devices to a university hospital in Seoul, one director of the company said they hoped the medical staff would help “mediate of the long-running COVID-19 pandemic, ” The Korea Herald report. They hope it would be easier for medical staff to wear a mask for hours at a time.
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However, it is important to note that LG’s press release does not make any claims about the mask that slows down the spread of the coronavirus, including whether it filters air when you inhale or inhale. LG declined to comment The edge when we immediately asked about this, and said that it was waiting until certification and testing were completed to give full details. It’s an important distinction, because masks are as much about preventing the wearer from infecting the people around them as they are about helping to stop the wearer from becoming infected.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now advises against using masks with exhalation valves or vents to prevent the spread of coronavirus, as these “distorted respiratory droplets” do not filter out so that carriers can infect the neighbors.
Because LG’s new mask uses motorized fans, it needs to be powered to work. LG says that the PuriCare Wearable Air Purifier has an 820mAh battery that provides up to eight hours of use in low-power mode, and drops to just two hours in high-power mode.
LG’s announcement does not say exactly when the mask will be released or how much it will cost, but notes that it will be available in “selected brands” in the fourth quarter of this year.
