Seldom have we put as much thought into the air we’re breathing as we have in 2020. Global pandemics have a way of doing that, not to mention the abysmal air quality from raging wildfires for the millions of people who live along the West Coast of the U.S.
It was much the same story earlier in the year for Australia, and in 2019, Brazil.
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It has all brought to the fore the importance of bearing in mind what’s getting into your lungs — and what isn’t — and how best to manage it all.
There have been three distinct approaches to the face mask issue in 2020.
Either you accepted that wearing a mask was a good thing for everyone and you wanted to do your part, you went above and beyond and guarded the air around you as seriously as possible, or you rejected the idea of wearing a mask.
There are certainly drawbacks to wearing a mask. It’s not particularly enjoyable, your glasses fog up, and people can’t see your facial expressions. But it’s important to curbing the spread of a disease that causes much worse problems.
For those who want to take their face mask game up a serious notch, there’s a device out there that provides unparalleled coverage while alleviating some of the stressors.
AIR by MicroClimate looks something like a space helmet and it acts a bit like one, too.
With a clear acrylic shield up front, it takes away a couple of serious problems with face masks right away: people will be able to see if you’re smiling or not, and you won’t have to worry about your glasses fogging up.
The makers of AIR tout its filtration system, too.
“AIR uses HEPA filters to capture 99.97% of all particals [ sic ] coming in and out of the mask,” the website reads. “That’s not only better than N95, that’s better for everyone.”
And to keep things inside the helmet from getting stale and foggy, the AIR contains high-powered fans that move air around. The website says the battery lasts for 4+ hours and can be charged via USB-C.
But it’s that clear shield that was the big driving force for AIR’s inventor.
Germs actually had little to do with it. Michael Hall came up with the idea while on a ski vacation with his family.
Unable to see his kids’ faces underneath their goggles, masks, and scarves, he had the idea of creating a microclimate around the head.
There are, naturally, some question marks around this device.
Hall wore an AIR on a flight recently and said that it was comfortable and he was able to hear well and speak to other passengers, so that wasn’t an issue. However, you have to wonder what would happen in the event of an itchy face or a sneezing or coughing fit, although the filter would presumably reduce the likelihood of small particles causing sneezes or coughs.
The filters in the helmet don’t just protect you, either.
They protect others as well. Air going in gets filtered, but so does the air coming out. There are filters at the exhaust site, so what you’re breathing out doesn’t contaminate the air for, say, other plane passengers.
Of course, now that we all have to travel with masks, Hall seems ahead of his time.
Surely your own little microclimate is the best way to keep yourself and others safe without having to wrap something around your ears. But whether or not folks will want to go about their daily lives in a $200 space helmet is really anybody’s guess.
What do you think? Would you wear a MicroClimate AIR?
Check out more on their website .
