Atmos Faceware Is An Expensive Fashion Item To Combat Air Pollution

The Atmos Faceware of Ao Air advertised itself as the utmost solution to combat air pollution. However, with the price tag of $350 (around Rs. 25,220), the gadget is out of reach of the people who need it the most. The faceware is on displayed ay CES 2020.

Living in a polluted area is highly dangerous. The contaminated air might make asthma worse or causes other respiratory conditions. When the air is filled with pollutants, people who live in it might have a higher chance of having some types of cancers, heart diseases, and strokes.

Those who have to put up with the terrible fire in Australia and California have to beware of not only the fire, but also the smoke. Even if you live far away from the fire, it is possible that the air might be filled with harmful particles.

Atmos Fareware is designed to be the solution to human air pollution concerns. In a study commissioned by the company itself, the faceware is found to be better at filtering out particulate matter than the standard facemask certified by NIOSH (short for National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health). However, take this with a pinch of salt as the study has not yet been peer-reviewed nor published.

What the Atmos Fareware does is to offer a brand new solution to air pollution. Unlike other facemasks on the market, it does not require an airtight seal to be able to work. According to Ao Air’s press release, sweat, facial hair, and other factors, which can influence the effectiveness of other facemasks, have little impact on how well their product does its job.

Ao Air also has the aesthetic concern in mind when it designed the faceware. The transparent appearance of the device will not prevent other people from seeing the wearer’s face, especially their smile.

It is an expensive package though. At the price of $350 (around Rs. 25,220), you will have the mask and four filters to change. This is even higher than some of the best air purifier price in India.  A decent Phillips air purifier is priced at Rs. 9,198 on Amazon. And as stated by one company’s spokesperson, only a small number of the Atmos Faceware is available for purchase during CES 2020. To help you have a clearer idea of why we call this faceware expensive, here is a comparison. $15 (Rs. 1,080) is what you have to pay for one NIOSH-certified mask, the N95.

Climate change is getting worse and we are burning ourselves as well as our planet. Come with it is the concern over air pollution. The hotter weather can bring about stagnant air and ozone clogging.

This grim future has paved the way for expensive and fashionable health-protecting gear to become the new trend in the tech world. Long before the term disaster capitalism was coiled by Naomi Klein in 2007, several companies have taken advantage of the poor living conditions and people’s fear of natural disasters.

In China and India, where citizens suffer the most of the polluted air, facemasks have become a fashion item sought after by many. People are also seeking ways to protect their homes as the "best air purifier in India" has become a hot keyword in recent months.

And this trend is slowly taking over the U.S. The Atmos Faceware might go down the same road as some sunglasses released in recent years. Some are cheap and do not actually have any kind of application while others are more expensive but you can keep for years to come.

Cleaner air is now the privilege of the wealthy. The worst conditions usually concentrate on poorer areas. Population with a higher income tends to suffer less from natural disasters and the effect of climate change.

Even if Atmos Faceware works as its company advertises, it will have no effect in easing the inequalities riddling our world.

At CES 2020, major tech giants also made announcements about their products, and here are Google's announcements at CES 2020.