Voice control and other high-tech air purifiers to change the way your breathe

Worsening air quality, especially in cities, has forced people to take steps to improve the living conditions inside their homes. Consequently, the demand for air purifiers has surged, resulting in innovations in technology. The market is now flooded with high-tech purifying gadgets, from wearables to remote-controlled ones, for your home. Many new homes in cities like Delhi, which is counted among the worst pollution hotspots in India, now even include inbuilt air purifying vents. Here’s a look at some of the popular air purifiers in the market

Voice-controlled purifier

The Coway Airmega 400S smart air purifier, comes with a mobile app that lets you regulate the filters from anywhere. You can also sync the machine with Alexa and regulate it using voice commands. It claims to remove 99.7% of pollutants in the air and automatically alerts if the air filter needs to be changed.

Wi-Fi-enabled purifier

Apart from destroying indoor air pollutants, the smart Molekule Air Purifier has a sleek design and it comes with two filters. One of them captures larger particles like dust and pet hair and another breaks down VOCs, bacteria, viruses and other pollutants. This device can be connected to your Wi-Fi and controlled remotely, using an app.

See also: How to deal with indoor air pollution

Three-in-one smart and compatible purifier

Awair Glow C works in three ways: it cleans the air, checks the temperature level and keeps humidity in control. Whenever any of these factors changes, it immediately reacts to it, to restore healthy levels via the humidifier and smart fan attached to it. For example, if it senses that the room is too hot, it will turn on the fan that is plugged into the smart plug, to bring down the temperature. You can even schedule the device to react to different indoor atmospheres. Compatible with Google Home and Alexa, you can also regulate it using your mobile app.

Purifier-cum-temperature controller

Dyson’s Pure Hot + Cool Link Air Purifier has a thermostat functionality, which means it cools with a fan in summer and heats up the room in winter. This is an intelligent device, which monitors the air quality and adjusts the airflow accordingly. The purifier is quiet, unlike regular purifiers and you can control it from anywhere using the Dyson app. You can also connect the device to Wi-Fi and use Amazon Echo, to use voice commands for adjusting the device.

See also: Plants do not improve indoor air quality but cut outdoor pollution, latest studies show

There are a number of air purifiers in the market which come with similar technologies and in different price ranges. Companies like Blueair, Philips, etc., are some of the well-known brands for air purifiers, which have comparable features. Most of the high-range purifiers come with Wi-Fi connectivity and voice command controls.

Do air purifiers protect you from Coronavirus?

While there is no clear scientific research that says that air purifiers can protect you from COVID-19, people need to understand the basic utility of such purifiers. These devices are designed to clear airborne bacteria and harmful pollutants. COVID-19 is spread by a virus which is not airborne but spread by respiratory transmission. While viruses like the Coronavirus finish their journey once the droplets fall, airborne viruses can remain in the air as the droplets evaporate, or even on other dust particles in the air. The purifier will not be able to eliminate the droplets at the rate you need, to avoid infection.

See also: COVID-19: How to sanitise vegetables, milk packets, deliveries and more

DIY air purifier project

As air purifiers can be expensive, one may consider creating a DIY air purifier.

• Make use of a fan with a flat front or back. These types of fans usually come with a recessed motor unit.
• Purchase a HEPA filter to capture more particles and allow better airflow
• Pull the grating off the front of the fan. Strap the HEPA filter onto the front of the fan using string.

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