By Re-Inventing the Market for Respirators and Face Masks, Aō Air™ Enables Air That’s Safe to Breathe Anytime and Anywhere
Las Vegas, NV, Jan. 07, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- At CES today, Aō Air™, the inventor of fashionable, intelligent Facewear for personal protection from air pollution, unveiled its Atmos™ Facewear, a unique patented solution, which is independently validated (1) to provide users with up to 50x better air quality than leading face masks on the market today. Aō Air™ is re-inventing the market for respirators and face masks with fashionable Facewear that is smarter than any mask that came before it. Traditional masks require a filter and a near perfect seal to provide proper protection. Aō Air’s™ unique solution does not require a seal. Today, air pollution kills over 7 million people annually (2) and costs countries billions of dollars annually (3).
“Air pollution now kills more people than smoking every year,” said Dan Bowden, Co-Founder and CEO of Aō Air™. “Anyone who has endured the wildfires in California, attempted to exercise during a pollution warning in Seoul, worked on a construction site in New York, or danced at Burning Man knows that the current technology is flawed and hasn’t changed in over 60 years. Aō Air’s Facewear goes far beyond the capabilities of any other wearable available on the market to provide protection from air pollution and awareness of what is in their surrounding air. Our mission is to help people live without fear of air pollution.”
Aō Air’s innovative Facewear revolutionizes the personal pollution protection device category. Currently, filtration masks and respirators are the main “solutions” globally, however, in a recent study 83.8% of users reported at least one problem associated with mask use (4). Issues identified in this study result from the need to maintain a true, airtight seal, which is difficult when wearers sweat, faces move, glasses fog up, etc. The Atmos™ is unique in that it requires no tight seal around the mouth and the nose, utilizing its proprietary PositivAir™ system and multistage D’fend™ filtration to create a positive pressure environment of clean air for each breath.
Aō Air have also teamed up with BreezoMeter, world-leading provider of real-time and street-level air quality data, to provide an IoT solution which informs users of the air pollution around them, helping them to understand when it’s most important to make use of the mask. The Atmos™ will also deliver unique breath analytics that visually demonstrate the wearer’s respiratory rate and volume.
Aō Air™ Facewear targets harmful particulate matter at PM2.5 and above, achieving a 98.7% effectiveness in capturing these particles. Our transparent design rests on the bridge of your nose, allowing others to see your face including your smile. Aō Air™ Facewear only lightly touches the skin, so glasses, makeup, and facial hair should not impede the performance of the Atmos™. The Atmos™ can be used for people on the go seeking superior protection from harmful air pollution, armed with additional awareness of their local air quality.
In developing this world leading product Aō Air have worked with the following partners:
· New Zealand’s award-winning Revolution Fibres
· Mini’s Urban-X programme
· Breezometer, global provider of hyper local environmental data
· Investor SOSV
· Auckland University of Technology (AUT) biodesign lab
· Korean contract manufacturer KHVatec
· New Zealand’s innovation agency Callaghan Innovation
· Portland’s WeWork Labs
· NZ Merino, and
· The US Navy
Aō Air™ will demonstrate The Atmos™ at CES at their booth, no. 45954, in the Wearables section of the Sands Convention Center. Aō Air™ invites all attendees to experience the future of air in their interactive demo. Limited amounts of the product will be available for presale at CES directly from the Aō Air™ website.
(1) AUT (Auckland University of Technology) Biodesign Lab Comparative Performance Study, October 2017
(2) Stressing Air Pollution Kills 7 Million People Annually, Secretary-General Urges Governments to Build Green Economy, in Message for World Environment Day, United Nations, 31 May 2019.
(3) Air Pollution Deaths Cost Global Economy US$225 Billion, The World Bank, September , 2016
(4) Respiratory Pathogens on the Outer Surface of Used Medical Masks May Result in Self-Contamination, June 2019.
ABOUT Aō Air™
Aō Air™ Facewear offers unsurpassed personal protection from harmful air pollution via a unique "no seal" solution to provide clean, cool air anytime you need it or want it. Aō Air™ is the first respirator to inform users when they need protection, when they are protected and what is in the air around them. Aō Air™ revolutionary design was recognized by Fast Company’s Innovation by Design Awards. To learn more about the technology, and its role in longer term environmental change, visit our website at: www.ao-air.com
Contact:
Cathy Clarke
CNC Associates
617-527-2089
cathyc@cncassocs.com