Trends in Japan - CScout Japan Blog » Cutting-edge air purifier from Hitachi

Cutting-edge air purifier from Hitachi

Written by: Rebecca Milner on August 20, 2008 at 11:55 pm | In Technology & Gadget Trends |

While fixing environmental problems like global warming requires the cooperation of nations, taking care of your own personal or professional environment is a simple as hitting an “on” button. Humidifiers and dehumidifiers are already common appliances in Japanese homes thanks to the seasonal extremes of very dry winters and very humid summer (see how long you can grin and bear it when your shoes actually sprout mold thanks to the high moisture level in your cramped, poorly ventilated urban apartment). From there it is a short jump to appliances that do all that and more, like purify and deodorize your air.

Now Hitachi has an air purifier, the Comfortable Air Robo Cleair 7 (yes that’s cleair, as in “clear air”), in the works that has seven completely automated functions designed to keep your personal atmosphere under complete, and perfect, control.

With seven functions—air purifying, deodorizing, humidification, dehumidification, skin moisturizing, clothes drying, and condensation control—in one machine the Cleair 7 is intended for year-round use, sucking the pollen out of the air during hay fever season and keeping your skin from cracking in the winter.

The addition of a wing turbo fan allows for up to 33 tatami mats (54m2) of clear air, and a world record purifying speed of 8 mats (13m2) in 9 minutes. Meanwhile, the inclusion of robotic engineering means that this smart appliance automatically adjusts to the environment, keeping the status of your air ideal without you haven’t to worry about it. The clean air monitor screen lets you know what is going on and the big, illuminated buttons are designed for simple (ie: elderly people friendly) handling.

Hitachi has 4,000 of these ready to go on September 12, for a cool ¥110,250 (about $1,000). According to Hitachi, the demand for air purifiers increased last year by 102% over the previous year, with ones incorporating a humidifier being particularly popular.