While I would never associate Dyson with personal audio devices (Bose generally dominates the field), I was surprised by the recent headphone patent. However, the recent headphone patents were astounding. Enterprising artists have tried to make the concept a little more realistic with shiny designs.

Sarang Sheth of Yanko Design gave us his take on how this product might look in real life. This is by no means official and is based on a patent that will most likely never become something that can actually be purchased. However, these are still beautifully crafted and look super cool.

Breaking down the design, the headphones have what looks like two headbands connecting the two ear cups. One of them is a headband that holds the headphones to the user's head, but the other is actually a miniature air filter that can be lowered in front of the mouth to keep away unwanted particulates and microbes in the air of crowded cities and other highly polluted areas.

The filter itself is based on Dyson's existing bladeless fan design. Air is drawn in through a grille on the outside of the ear cups and discharged through a movable filter. As described in the patent, these "handsets" incorporate a 12,000-RPM fan that sends 1.4 liters of air per second to the front of the face, allowing for fresher air than otherwise possible.

The sound quality of these headphones would be questionable. With the addition of a high-speed fan, Dyson will need to invest in better noise-canceling technology to make the headphones enjoyable as headphones as well. Since Dyson has never manufactured audio equipment before, perhaps they could form an important partnership to solve this problem, or, as an innovative company, their own trick to make the audio sound good despite the spinning air filter may have.

Although they don't have an air filter, the Bose 700 headphones are our favorite noise-canceling headphones. They are comfortable listening to music and calls even in loud environments, and the mix of buttons and touch controls makes them easy to use.