LG’s electronic mask filter gets a speaker and microphone
LG has updated the PuriCare Wearable Air Purifier with a microphone and speaker to make it easier to talk. The new device will first appear in Thailand in August, and will then be available in other parts of the world.
It turned out that it is very difficult to talk with a respirator on the face – LG had to urgently look for a way out of the situation
Last year, LG became one of the first major electronics companies to dive into face masks. Carefully avoiding direct references to COVID-19, the mask essentially brought PuriCare air purification technology into a portable device.
The first iteration was a HEPA air purifier that could be attached to the face. The new version of the device is smaller, lighter and includes several important new features to solve a big problem found in the original.
The problem was that it was very difficult to speak through such a mask. Voices were significantly muffled, and some users had to remove the mask just to talk, which made the whole process meaningless.
To fix this, LG has built a microphone and speaker into the device, which amplifies the person’s voice during a call. The computerized system, called VoiceON, responds to and amplifies the voice while remaining off the rest of the time. The company’s engineers admit that otherwise the user would feel like Darth Vader with his heavy, hoarse breathing.
Other elements of the original device have also been optimized. The battery has been increased to 1000mA and the total weight of the device has dropped from 126 grams to 94 grams.
As previously mentioned, there is no direct claim or evidence that this mask offers protection against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The HEPA filters in the mask have been found to remove 99.7% of viral particles, but the company is promoting the device solely as an air purifier.