Although they’re most known for their range of smartphones, Chinese business Xiaomi offers many more products and call themselves an internet business. A number of Xiaomi’s products start their life as a crowdfunded product and to this end, the company has just released their latest such product in the shape of the Cloth Pear Fresh Air Mask. This face mask was launched today in China for 89 yuan, which is around $13. The Cloth Pear Fresh Air Mask combines a hand-sewn, three dimensional design and “high grade” textile, but Xiaomi have ensured that the product covers more than a pretty face. The air filter unit packs some mean specifications: the filter is constructed from “delicate materials” and is of PM 2.5 99% grade, in other words the filter can remove 99% of particulate matter from the 2.5 micrometers and bigger.
This grade of filter is particularly important because according to the World Health Organisation, particles of this size are considered to be one of the most dangerous kinds of air pollution because they can penetrate deep into the lungs into the gas exchange regions and from here, lodge themselves into the bloodstream to cause permanent harm. Many regions of the world have established PM exposure limits but these levels vary greatly according to the country. Particulate pollution levels were a few years ago especially high in some northern Chinese cities; in January 2013, Beijing reported an all time high pollution level of 993 µg/m3, many times higher than the highest allowable levels. As you might expect, PM filtering face masks are a big business.
In the technical details, Xiaomi’s Cloth Pear Fresh Air Mask uses a powered filtration unit that has a three speed, ultra-thin, customized fan unit complete with a lithium ion rechargeable battery that has a battery life of between four to eight hours, including an energy saving mode. The mask has an individual air volume memory and a knob-type filter cartridge, which makes swapping out an old filter for a new one a simple task. Overall weight for the mast is a shade over 50g, meaning it’s light and supremely portable. Currently, the Cloth Pear Fresh Air Mask is only available in grey and we’ve no word if Xiaomi is set to release additional colors in the coming months.
