Science behind Dyson Zone explained; cancelling noise & pollution on-the-go

When Dyson unveiled the world's first air-purifying headphones in March, the product raised many questions. For the better part of assumptions, many thought it would merely be a concept than a reality. But that changed with Dyson announcing the availability of its wearable purifier — Dyson Zone. That's right, the high fidelity, active noise canceling headphones with air purification is going on sale from January in select markets.

Dyson Zone: Availability

Dyson Zone will go on sale in China from January and will arrive in other markets including the US, UK, Hong Kong SAR and Singapore in March. Consumers in India, however, will have to wait a bit longer.

What is Dyson Zone exactly?

Dyson Zone is high fidelity over-ear headphones, which simultaneously deliver immersive sound to the ears, and purified airflow to the nose and mouth. Describing the product, Jake Dyson, Chief Engineer said, "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, using high-performance filters and two miniaturised air pumps."

Dyson Zone was originally a snorkel-like clean air mouthpiece paired with a backpack to hold the motor and inner workings, but the air-purifying headphones evolved dramatically over its six years in development. The end result is remarkable.

Dyson Zone delivers up to 50 hours of ultra-low distortion, advanced noise cancellation and full-spectrum audio reproduction. Additionally, it captures 99% of particle pollution as small as 0.1 microns. There's also K-Carbon, potassium-enriched carbon filters, which target prevalent acidic gases most associated with city pollution, including NO2 and SO2.

All these years, Dyson has been delivering products that purify a closed space, be it home or office. With the Dyson Zone, the company makes sure the air you breathe is clean, no matter where you are. But it also shuts the city noise during the commute.

How does it work?

Dyson Zone has compressors in each earcup, which draw air through the dual-layer filters and project two streams of purified air to the wearer's nose and mouth. It is channeled through the non-contact detachable visor.

To dive deeper into the science behind the Zone, it is powered by precision-engineered compressors, which are spinning at up to 9,750 rpm, and drawing air through the dual-layer filters. The negatively charged electrostatic filter media captures ultrafine particles such as allergens, and particles from sources such as brake dust, industry combustion and construction, to an efficiency of 99% for particles as small as 0.1 microns. The K-Carbon, besides capturing city gas pollutants, also keeps nasty city odors, like construction fumes, sewage, or stale air in metro systems, at bay.

Dyzon Zone is powered by advanced lithium-ion batteries, which can be recharged via USB Type-C port. It takes three hours to fully charge the headphones, which can then run 50 hours of audio-only run-time or four hours of combined purification and audio (with the visor attachment).

Speaking of audio, this may be a new area for Dyson, but it seems to know its way around delivering an immersive listening experience. Dyson says the headphones are engineered for ultra-low distortion and reproduce frequencies from 6 Hz – 21 kHz so every note is heard. The complete controls of the headphones are in the MyDyson app.

The USP feature, its ANC system uses eight microphones that monitor surrounding noise 384,000 times a second, offering up to 38 dB of noise cancellation from 20 Hz to 20 kHz.

Taking inspiration from the shape and design of a horse's saddle, the Dyson Zone is engineered to distribute weight over the sides of the head, rather than on the top. According to the company, the airflow pathways and visor design are central to delivering pure air.