At CES 2022, Aiburu unveiled a wearable air purifier with built-in headphones; the Airvida E1, part of the Airvida series, can purify the air around you while you enjoy your favorite music through noise-canceling headphones. On paper, the concept sounds ridiculous, but the Airvida E1 may actually be weirdly awesome.

Over the past two years, we have all become more aware of the quality of the air we breathe. Access to properly purified air has never been more important. For this reason, several companies, including Aiburu Airvida, have seen a growing demand for wearable air purifiers. The problem with these devices is that they look quite strange in use and serve only a single function.

The Airvida E1 smartly integrates portable air purification technology with noise-canceling headphones to create a multifunctional device that looks right at home on a crowded commuter train or in a grocery store line. It may not be a fashionable device, but it is certainly a very functional accessory.

Utilizing Aiburu's breathing pathway Eco-Ion Technology, the AirVida E1 reportedly "generates negative ions around the user's face that can break down the carbon-hydrogen bonds of the coronavirus and render it inactive instantly. In addition, these negative ions attach to airborne particles and become heavier, so they fall to the ground rather than being inhaled by the wearer.

This unique purification system won an innovation award at CES 2020. Proven to help fight off airborne viruses as well as improve seasonal allergies, the Airvida E1 may be a nifty device to wear around your neck all year round.

The Airvida E1 weighs 42 grams and has a battery life of 8 hours when using both the air purification function and headphones. The battery life jumps to over 30 hours when not listening to music. In addition, placing the E1 on the included stand turns it into a mini desktop air purifier for the home or office.

It is easy to dismiss the Air Vida E1 as a novelty item. The elevator pitch of an air purifier with built-in headphones initially made me scratch my head, but once I actually considered its functionality, its remarkable usefulness quickly became apparent. The quality of the included noise-canceling headphones, however, is questionable. It is unlikely that the Air Vida E1 will appear in the best headphone rankings anytime soon.

No release date or pricing information has been announced yet, but the Ible Airvida M1 (a wearable air purifier without headphones) retails for about $175, so we expect the Airvida E1 to cost about $200. We will update this article as soon as we know more details. Until then, bookmark our CES 2022 live blog to keep up with the latest brilliant and bizarre announcements.