In fact, this announcement caught everyone so off-guard, we paused to check the date. But as we approach April Fool's Day, it seems Dyson is more likely to double down than back down.

With thirty years of filtration expertise, six years of research, and a reported five-hundred prototypes, what you see before you is a personal air purifier combined with active noise-cancelling headphones.

With air pollution being a real problem in many cities worldwide and a renewed global focus on air circulation and quality, mainly since the pandemic, Dyson's timing likely could not have been better for such a concept.

Little information is available as yet, other than some images and a form to fill out on the Dyson website to express interest. We know that the Dyson Zone, at its core, is a pair of noise-cancelling over-ear headphones "delivering immersive, high-fidelity sound". It also comes with a Contact-free Visor, said to channel a continuous stream of purified air to your nose and mouth without touching your face. That clean air is passed through a 2-stage purification process that is said to be capable of filtering city fumes and pollutants. 

"A first foray into the world of audio, Dyson engineers took a scientific approach, choosing not to rely on a 'golden listener' approach that many others do," the company said.

"Dyson's team of audio engineers and acousticians sought to engineer excellent audio led by metrics, backed up with extensive listening trials. The result: pure, rich audio and advanced noise cancellation."

Were this story released on April 1, it would have been quickly dismissed after a quick chuckle. But Dyson is not joking it seems. So watch this space as we can't wait to get ears, eyes, and nose on with Dyson's first audio device and wearable.