Comment by settsu
13 hours ago
This makes me wonder, for a truly travel-size solution (or just otherwise compact needs), if there's a viable alternative that directs filtered air at a sleeper's head? In other words, would the net effect be equivalent for one person (such that they're breathing more or less the same cleanness of air)?
I grasp that such an approach might draw unfiltered surrounding air along with the filtered stream of air, and imagine that it would likely be easily overwhelmed by a steady supply of exceptionally polluted air (wildfire smoke or simply a heavily polluted urban area), but I still would be interested in knowing if the compromise never overcomes a level of placebo effect, or if there's a point where it actually achieves measurable benefit (both in efficacy and portability—like a even more compact and directional version of the Corsi-Rosenthal computer fan solution.)
There's an Airfanta 4Lite which uses laminar flow to achieve that:
https://air-fanta.com/products/airfanta-4lite
However, testing seems to show that the clean air flow is neither wide nor far; it would only be effective right next to your face and you can't really move:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Masks4All/comments/1di1n4t/can_a_po...
There aren't a lot of use cases for it.
My aunt is immunocompromised and carries one around with her in crowded situations, keeping it pointed right at her face 8-12in away. It works well for her, especially since she's had a lung transplant and doesn't do well with a mask.
I have seen models designed this way! Vornado used to make one, I think it's discontinued.
These directed-air "personal models" make a lot of sense to me... at least in theory. I haven't seen them properly tested.
The big air purifiers work great.. if the room is closed up. But their effectiveness approaches zero if you have the windows open or otherwise have unfiltered air entering the room. Which is kind of important, if you don't enjoy breathing in sky high levels of CO2. (If one's allergies are bad enough, or a wildfire is raging outside, CO2 might of course be preferable to particulates)