Dyson has teased the release of its latest invention – a wearable air purifier that doubles up as a pair of noise-cancelling headphones.
The creation is so futuristic and, frankly, weird, that many people are suspicious that the technology company is pulling an early April Fools’ prank on the nation.
People have labelled it a ‘snot cannon’ and made comparisons to the mask worn by fictional serial killer Hannibal Lecter.
But the business has insisted that the Dyson Zone is legitimate, and will ‘supply a continuous stream of purified air to your nose and mouth’.
The Dyson Zone – a wearable air purifier and headphone hybrid. Credit: Dyson
Dyson’s first foray into wearable technology is a set of air-purifying headphones that promises to capture city pollution while cancelling out unwanted noise pollution.
ADVERTISEMENT
The launch today states that the product has gone through six years of development.
Early prototypes apparently featured a snorkel-like mouthpiece and a backpack to hold the motor and inner workings.
ADVERTISEMENT
Get in the zone with Dyson’s latest technology.
30 years of air filtration expertise pioneered into a wearable, high-end audio device. With a contact-free visor to supply a continuous stream of purified air to your nose and mouth. So, you can breathe cleaner air, anywhere.
The end result features a visor-like mouthpiece that delivers two jets of airflow without contact with the face.
News of the Dyson Zone has received a mixed reaction online, ranging from complaints about its appearance to concerns about its safety amid a global respiratory infection pandemic.
YouTuber Naomi Wen said: “Ok here’s a technical breakdown of why the @Dyson Zone™ Air-Purifying Headphones aka. the Snot Cannon aka. the Wearable SuperSpreader Event is such a staggeringly bad idea and a significant danger to public health if it is allowed to be sold.”
ADVERTISEMENT
She then launched into a full thread about the spread of aerosol particles and said that the Zone is ‘worse than no mask at all’ because of the way it projects breath outward.
Other people on Twitter think that Dyson has hit send on its April Fools’ joke a few days early, with one person saying: “Well played Mr Dyson it’s only the 30th march going off early does Dyson have a product for that #AprilFoolsDay.”
Someone else wrote: “What the eff Dyson? you missed an opportunity here. Should have made a Darth Vader Mask, that at least would have had more appeal than this Hanibal Lecter is listening to music stuff.”
And, much as many did with Dyson’s other products like the Airwrap, someone commented: “I’ll wait for the knock offs or cheaper versions from somewhere else….not gonna pay three hundred bucks to strap a vacuum to my head.”
Featured image: Dyson
Trending
Manchester has been named one of the ‘friendliest’ cities in the UK
Emily Sergeant
A new study has crowned Manchester as one of the ‘friendliest’ cities in the UK.
With reviews playing a huge part in the success of small businesses – especially in the hospitality and tourism sector – business insurance expert MoneySuperMarket has analysed more than 100,000 reviews of customer-facing businesses in over 100 cities worldwide to discover where the UK’s ‘friendliest’ places are.
Their new research reveals which cities nationwide attract the highest number of reviews that particularly highlight friendly staff and excellent customer service in their venues and attractions.
For each city, the reviews were analysed for mentions of friendly staff and excellent service.
Cities were then ranked by the percentage of reviews containing these markers – with the highest percentage earning the top spot for friendly customer service.
Manchester came in at a very respectable ninth place in the whole of the UK, with just over 50% of reviews mentioning friendly staff and service.
Other northern cities in the top 10 include Leeds at number six and Liverpool at number two, while looking at the global rankings, the UK dominates for friendliness – with four cities making the top 10, more than any other country in the world.
According to MoneySupermarket, the even spread of cities across the UK suggests that excelling in customer service is a national trait, rather than a local one.
European cities make up seven of the top 10 spots, suggesting that hospitality and friendly service are deeply embedded in the continent’s culture.
Featured Image – Manchester City Council
Trending
Bolton man sets Guinness World Record for most fish fingers eaten in a minute
Emily Sergeant
A man from Bolton has set a very unique world record.
Nathan Davies, from Westhoughton in Bolton, is on a roll – first he won £98,000 on ITV‘s hit gameshow The 1% Club, and now he’s a world record holder.
After telling the show’s host, Lee Mack, that he wanted to break a world record, the 32-year-old has followed through on the promise he made on national television by claiming the title for the most fish fingers eaten in one minute.
The dad-of-two managed to scoff down 15 fish fingers in 60 seconds.
A man from Bolton man has set the Guinness World Record for the most fish fingers eaten in a minute / Credit: Guinness World Record
Nathan chose fish fingers as they’re a staple in his household thanks to his two young boys, and after first testing how quickly he could eat four of them, he decided to go for the official Guinness World Record attempt.
“I decided fish fingers was achievable given that I’ve got a few less formal eating records, so it’s up my street,” Nathan explained of his world record attempt.
Despite his impressive effort though, Nathan admits he was still a little gutted about how many he managed to chow down in the allotted time, adding: “I think I could have done more if I had let them cool down longer, but just happy to have the record.”
Nathan says it’s a ‘bit strange’ to have an official Guinness World Record for eating fish fingers, of all things, but he is ‘very proud’ of it all the same.
Daisy Jackson -
31st March 2022 
