Here’s how this personal wearable air purifier lets you deal with the pervasive pollution problem

India continues to be plagued by numerous environmental issues, and one of the foremost is air pollution. A 2019 report by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) revealed that air pollution is now “the third highest cause of death among all health risks, ranking just above smoking in India”.

Could there be a solution to this pervasive problem? US-based Headwaters Inc. believes it has found the answer in AirTamer. It is a personal air purifier that cleans air by removing airborne pollutants such as viruses, bacteria, and pollen from your personal space. 

Patented in the US and launched in India in November 2018, AirTamer is a simple wearable (it can be worn as a neckpiece) that lets you breathe in clean and pure air. 

Exclusively launched on ecommerce platform GlobalKart in November last year, the air purifier is also available on Amazon and Paytm Mall. It is currently priced at Rs 9,999, the same price it is available for in the US.

“Usually air purifiers are available for indoor purposes only. We have brought this unique gadget to NCR to protect an individual from health hazards wherever s/he goes. This is an ultra-mini and wearable air purifier, which makes it easy to use," says Sanket Aggarwal, Founder and CEO of GlobalKart.

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How it works?

AirTamer emits a constant stream of healthy negative ions that force airborne pollutants away from your personal space giving you a zone of cleaner, healthier air. The ultra-compact and incredibly versatile design of the Air Tamer makes it easy to carry and simple to use. An individual can wear it around the neck and commute freely. 

This wearable air purifier, widely accepted in the US and Japan, can be easily charged with a standard USB cable available in the box and provides 150+ hours of run rate on one charge. Unlike other air purifiers, the Air Tamer does not have any filter that needs to be replaced periodically.

Over two million negative ions are emitted from the AirTamer every second. These negative ions attach themselves to air particles like allergens, viruses, etc., and negatively charge them. These negatively charged particles naturally get attracted to positively charged surfaces in the surrounding, rather than continuing their way towards the breathing passage of an individual. This reduces the probability that one may inhale pollutants and suffer from illness. 

AirTamer’s USP

Headwaters Inc, which was founded in 1993 by Troy Anderson and Rudy Vandenbelt, has made the wearable available in 32 countries around the world. In India, the company has signed up with GlobalKart to launch the product. 

"Around 1,000 AirTramers have been sold over the past year. The product is well received in urban markets, followed by select non-metros," adds Sanket.

The noiseless AirTamer claims to be the only personal, light-weight (50 gm) air purifier, which can be worn to “breathe in clean air anytime anywhere”. 

According to the company, AirTamer has been lab tested at the internationally recognised Intertek Testing Services (ITS), and has proven to clean 9x better than its closest competitor. Another independent test was held at the prestigious Kitasato Research Center in Japan, which confirmed that the AirTamer removes 99 percent of viruses from the air over just 20 minutes.

Globally, AirTamer competes with the likes of The InvisiClean IC-103, Wein Mini-Mate AS180i, MIFAVOR Mini Air Purifier and FitAir Portable.

“The company’s core idea is to transform consumers’ lives by leveraging innovation in solution-centric products that focus on alleviating the stresses and strains of daily lives and delivering them seamlessly to customers’ doorsteps. It starts with identifying everyday pain points, such as the rising concern for personal data security, noise pollution while travelling or working, etc,” Sanket says. 

He adds that GlobalKart goes on to uniquely combine technical expertise and insights into consumer behaviour to “provide solutions that forever change the way consumers live their lives”. 

Apart from AirTamer, GlobalKart exclusively offers various other products for the India market, including Nutfinder (the world’s smallest and lightest live GPS Tracker), Breo (the Hi-tech eyes and head massager), Senz (a specifically designed sturdiest umbrella for any storm), Aegis secure data device (the world's next generation most secure pendrive), and QUIETON (the most powerful noise cancelling for a peaceful sleep). 

Unlike other ecommerce sites, GlobalKart also provides cash-on-delivery options. 

The future is wearable

The 2018 World Air Quality Report by IQAir AirVisual indicates that a majority of the world's most polluted cities are in India, with 15 out of the 20 cities reporting the worst pollution. Air pollution will take an estimated seven million lives globally in the next year, while costing the world’s economy nearly $225 billion, as per the report. 

“In India, millions of people are suffering from sinus asthma, flu, and lung infections because of the hazardous air pollution. As the market size is huge, our strategy is to reach out to this audience and help them make an investment for a healthy life,” a GlobalKart spokesperson said. 

According to International Data Corporation (IDC), the worldwide market for wearable devices, now inclusive of wireless headphones with smart assistants, is forecast to grow 15.3 percent over the previous year to 198.5 million units by the end of 2019. 

Research and Markets stated that the wearable devices market in India was projected to “gain significantly during 2018-2023, on account of trends like rising fitness trends, modernisation of lifestyle, growing keenness to own sophisticated devices, and surging internet penetration”. 

With growing awareness of the hazards of air pollution, air purifiers have become a household must-have, and AirTamer could disrupt the market with its personal, preventive solution. 

Apart from its online distribution network, AirTamer’s parent company is also working on the franchise model and developing an offline distribution network. In the future, it plans to integrate with pharmacies like Apollo pharmacy and 98.4. 

(Edited by Teja Lele Desai)

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