LG is releasing a smart air-purifying mask with a built-in megaphone

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Face masks aren’t going away any time soon, so the tech companies have been looking at ways to improve on the basic template. LG’s take is the PuriCare Wearable Air Purifier, which uses replaceable filters and small fans to filter the air you breathe.

This is the same mask that LG announced almost a year ago, which has gone through a refinement process in the meantime to use a smaller, lighter motor, and the addition of inbuilt microphones and speakers that amplify the wearer’s voice, so they don’t sound muffled (something that was very apparent on the earlier model).

You’ll be wearing this for hours at a time, so you might not like the 100g weight of the mask versus other options. LG does say it’s comfortable enough to wear for eight hours at a time, but YMMV. The fans are powered by a 1,000 mAh battery which recharges in two hours via USB.

If you want one, LG is launching the PuriCare mask next month in Thailand, with a vague promise to bring it to “other markets… …once approved by local regulators.”

Even once the pandemic is over, air pollution in our cities is getting worse, so until that changes for the better, there’s going to be a large market for wearable air filters that don’t make you look like you’re an extra in a military movie.

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Editors’ Recommendations:

• LG smartphones are dead, and so is their resale value
• LG is slinging ads all over its smart TVs, even the really expensive ones
• Razer’s ridiculous RGB face mask will actually be available to buy later this year
• France trialed facial recognition tech that checks if people are wearing face masks

Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.