I had high hopes for the Dyson Zone, the air-purifying and noise-canceling headphones that look like they were stolen off a cyborg-like supervillain. But after wearing and traveling with the contraption, it’s not quite as practical for everyday use as I expected. In fact, it came in handy most during an unprecedented, apocalyptic-like bout of air pollution caused by wildfire smoke.
First announced in 2022, the Dyson Zone arrived well after the peak of the pandemic. Mask mandates had eased up and, in general, people were out and about in the world again. Still, the product came out specifically saying that it’s not for airborne viruses. Instead it promised a futuristic experience of having air pollution filtered out for commuters. Plus, the noise-canceling headphones aspect of it meant that you could also filter out sound.
