Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a wearable assembly and a head wearable assembly.

Background of the Invention

Athletes may use altitude training to increase performance by increasing red blood cell number and total haemoglobin mass. Altitude training may also provide increased cardiovascular benefits. However, this may require the athlete to travel long distances and may not always be convenient.

Summary of the Invention

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wearable assembly comprising: a headgear, an airflow generator configured to generate a flow of air, comprising ambient air, and impart the flow of air to the headgear; and an air treatment assembly configured to create a reduced-oxygen airflow by reducing an oxygen content of the flow of air, relative to an oxygen content of the ambient air, that is imparted to the headgear.

Many endurance athletes use altitude training to help improve performance. This involves the athlete training at a location which is at altitude (for example, more than 1000m or more above sea level) and therefore has a relative lack of oxygen compared to sea level. Due to the reduced oxygen level, this may help to stimulate red blood cell generation and improve athletic performance. However, such altitude training may require athletes to travel long distances to a suitable location, so it may not always be practical to carry out altitude training.

The wearable assembly according to the first aspect of the present invention enables a reduced-oxygen airflow to be provided to a user, which aims to simulate being at altitude. As the assembly is wearable, the assembly may be worn in a variety of training locations (for example, at or near sea level) during training. This then allows the user to simulate altitude training without the need to travel to a specific location that is at altitude. According to examples, the reduced-oxygen airflow created by the air treatment assembly may be adjusted to provide a desired composition of airflow, to suit an individual user’s requirements. This may provide greater flexibility over travelling to a location at altitude.

The air treatment assembly may comprise a source of gas and the air treatment assembly may be configured to combine gas from the source of gas with the flow of air to create the reduced-oxygen airflow. The source of gas may be used to displace oxygen in the air which may reduce the volume of oxygen in the air. The source of gas may comprise no oxygen or at least comprise a reduced oxygen content relative to the ambient air. The amount of the gas combined with the flow' of air may be adjusted to alter the oxygen concentration of the airflow. This may help to simulate different levels of altitude.

In some examples, the source of the gas may comprise a canister supported by the headgear, and the canister may be configured to contain a gas. By providing the source of the gas as a canister supported by the headgear, the gas may be easily transported. The canister may also allow the gas to be pressurised, allowing for a greater quantity of gas to be stored and/or transported. The canister may be removeable from the headgear to allow the canister to be replaced/replenished when depleted. The gas may comprise nitrogen. Combining nitrogen with the flow of air may help to displace oxygen in the air and create the reduced-oxygen airflow. The amount of the nitrogen combined with the flow of air may be adjusted to alter the oxygen concentration of the airflow, which mayhelp to simulate different levels of altitude.

In other examples, the air treatment assembly may comprise a catalyst configured to receive the flow of air and create the reduced-oxygen airflow by removing oxygen from the flow of air. The catalyst may remove oxygen from the flow of air to reduce the total volume of oxygen in the flow of air and create the reduced-oxygen airflow. The catalyst may be more compact and/or lighter than the canister which may make the wearable assembly more comfortable and/or convenient to use. The catalyst may be removable to allow the catalyst to be replaced and/or replenished. The catalyst may comprise at least one of a zeolite and a metal-organic framework (MOF).

In other examples, the air treatment assembly may comprise another mechanism to create the reduced-oxygen airflow. The air treatment assembly may comprise a rebreathing assembly configured to remove carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) from air exhaled by the wearer using, for example, lime. The wearer may then re-breath a mixture of the treated exhaled air and the flow of air. In other examples, the air treatment assembly may utilise an oxidation reaction to create the reduced-oxygen airflow. The oxidation reaction may comprise providing iron on a high surface area filter. The iron may react with the flow of air to form iron oxide and therefore remove oxygen from the flow of air to create the reduced-oxygen airflow. In other examples, the air treatment assembly may utilise gas adsorption, such as physisorption or chemisorption, to create the reduced-oxygen airflow. The gas absorption may be caused by zeolites or MOFs (as discussed in relation to the catalysts above), or through the use of a suitable liquid in which oxygen is absorbed. In some examples, the air treatment assembly may comprise a membrane filter through which the flow of air is passed to create the reduced-oxygen airflow.

The airflow generator may be configured to generate the flow' of air with a flow rate of around 5 litres/second. This flow rate may help to create a volume of reduced-oxygen air around the user’s nose and/or mouth in use. This may help to create the effect of being in a reduced-oxygen environment. The flow rate may be greater than the rate at which the user consumes the reduced-oxygen airflow' in use. In other words, the flow rate may cause an over-pressure relative to the ambient environment. As such, this may help to ensure that the user is always breathing the reduced-oxygen airflow'. The airflow generator may be configured to generate the flow of air with a flow rate greater or smaller than 5 litres/second. For example, the flow' rate may be between 2.5 litres/second and 7.5 litres/second, such as between 2.5 litres/second and 3 litres/second.

The airflow generator may comprise an impeller which is driven by an electric motor to cause ambient air to be drawn in to generate the flow of air. The airflow generator may be supported by the headgear. When the airflow generator is supported by the headgear, the wearable assembly may be more compact and may be easier to carry by a user. This may help to reduce the need for the user to carry further ancillary' components, which may make the assembly easier to use.

The air treatment assembly may be supported by the headgear, such that the wearable assembly may be relatively compact, which may make the assembly easier to cany by a user. This may help to reduce the need for the user to carry further ancillary components, which may make the assembly easier to use.

The air treatment assembly may be configured to create a continuous flow of the reduced- oxygen airflow. By providing a continuous flow' of reduced-oxygen airflow, this may help to ensure that the user is always being provided with the reduced-oxygen airflow' while the wearable assembly is in use. This may help to improve the quality of the user’s training.

The headgear may comprise a nozzle assembly, the nozzle assembly may comprise an airflow' outlet configured to receive the reduced-oxygen airflow from the air treatment assembly and direct the reduced-oxygen airflow' toward a face of a user, and more particularly towards the mouth and nose of the user, in use. When the airflow outlet is configured to direct the reduced-oxygen airflow towards the face of the user, this may help to ensure that the user is properly provided with the reduced-oxygen airflow in use. The nozzle assembly may comprise a plurality of airflow outlets. An orientation of the airflow outlets may be adjustable to adjust the direction in which the reduced-oxygen airflow is directed. This may allow the wearable assembly to be adjusted to suit the user.

The wearable assembly may comprise an airflow composition sensor configured to determine information indicative of a composition of the reduced-oxygen airflow. The airflow composition sensor may allow the volume of oxygen within the reduced-oxygen airflow to be monitored. This may allow the assembly to adjust the composition of the airflow' to ensure that a desired volume of oxygen is in the airflow'. This may also help to ensure that the oxygen reducing assembly is working as required and may indicate when service and/or repair of the oxygen reducing assembly is required. Monitoring the volume of oxygen within the reduced-oxygen airflow may allow the composition to be adjusted to ensure that the volume of oxygen remains within a predefined range, such that the volume of oxygen does not become too high or too low. The airflow composition sensor may be used to calculate an equivalent altitude at which ambient air would have the same composition as the reduced-oxygen airflow, and inform the wearer of this altitude.

The wearable assembly may comprise a transmitter to transmit the information indicative of the composition of the reduced-oxygen airflow to a receiver remote from the wearable assembly. The information may be transmitted to an external device where the composition of the reduced-oxygen airflow may be monitored. For example, the information may be transmitted to, and displayed on, a wearable device such as a watch of the user to allow the user to monitor the composition of the reduced-oxygen airflow. In some examples, the information is transmitted to, and displayed on, a non-wearable device, such as a smartphone, a tablet or a computer.

The wearable assembly may comprise an environment sensor configured to determine information indicative of an environment in which the wearable assembly is located . The information indicative of the environment may be used to modify the composition of the reduced-oxygen airflow depending on the location (and respective oxygen concentration of the ambient air) of the wearable assembly. This may help to ensure that the composition of the reduced-oxygen airflow is as desired.

The wearable assembly may comprise a controller configured to control an operation of the air treatment assembly. Operation of the air treatment assembly may be controlled based on an output from the airflow composition sensor and/or the environment sensor.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a head wearable assembly comprising: a headgear; an airflow generator supported by the headgear and configured to generate a flow of air, comprising ambient air, and impart the flow of air to the headgear; and an air treatment assembly supported by the headgear, the air treatment assembly configured to create a modified airflow by changing the gaseous composition of the flow of air that is imparted to the headgear.

The head wearable assembly according to the second aspect of the present invention may enable a user to be provided with an airflow which has had its composition modified. For example, the modified airflow may provide the user with more oxygen when required. The composition of the airflow may be changed to reduce the oxygen content of the flow ⁷ of air to simulate a reduced-oxygen environment (e.g. to simulate being at altitude). As the assembly is head wearable, the assembly may be used in a variety of locations and may also be used while the user is moving. As the assembly is head wearable assembly, the user may not have to cany any further ancillary devices which may make their training easier.

The air treatment assembly may be configured to increase an oxygen content in the flow of air. This may allow a user to be provided with an oxygen enriched airflow if required. For example, when ambient air in which the user and assembly are located has a reduced oxygen content, the head wearable assembly may provide an airflow with an increased oxygen content to compensate for this.

The air treatment assembly may be configured to decrease an oxygen content in the flow of air. By decreasing the oxygen content in the flow/ of air, the assembly may enable a reduced-oxygen airflow to be provided to a user which may simulate being at altitude. As the assembly is head wearabl e, the assembly may be used in a variety of locations and may also be used while the user is moving. The head wearable assembly may be more convenient than having to travel to a location that is at altitude.

The head wearable assembly may comprise an airflow outlet configured to receive the modified airflow from the air treatment assembly and direct the modified airflow toward a face of a user in use. When the airflow outlet is configured to direct the modified airflow towards the face of the user, this may help to ensure that the user is properly provided with the modified airflow in use. The nozzle assembly may comprise a plurality of airflow outlets. An orientation of the airflow outlets may be adjustable to adjust the direction in which the modified airflow is directed. This may allow' the wearable assembly to be adjusted to suit the user.

Features of aspects of the present invention may be equally applied to other aspects of the present invention, where appropriate.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic front view of a wearable assembly according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a schematic rear underside view of the wearable assembly of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the wearable assembly of Figure 1 with a nozzle assembly removed;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of a further wearable assembly with a nozzle assembly- removed;

Figure 5 is a schematic view of the wearable assembly of Figures 1 and 2 with the nozzle assembly detached; and

Figure 6 is a schematic underside view of the nozzle assembly of the wearable assembly of Figures 1 and 2. Detailed Description of the Invention

A wearable assembly, generally designated 10, is shown schematically in Figures I and 2.

The wearable assembly comprises a headgear 12, first 14 and second 16 housings, an air treatment assembly 17 and a nozzle assembly 100.

The headgear 12 has the form of a headband, is generally elongate and arcuate in form, and is configured to overlie a top and sides of a head of a wearer, in use. The headgear 12 has a first end portion 18, a second end portion 20, and a central portion 22. Each of the first 18 and second 20 end portions are connected to the central portion 22 by an extension mechanism. Each extension mechani sm comprises an arm 24 that engages with teeth internal of the first 18 and second 20 end portions to form a ratchet mechanism that enables adjustment of the length of the headgear 12 by a wearer. To this end, the teeth, a spacing between the teeth and an opposing wall, or the arm 24 itself, may be sufficiently resilient to provide the required retention.

The first 18 and second 20 end portions of the headgear 12 each comprise a hollow housing 26. The hollow housing 26 defines a battery compartment for receiving one or more batteries therein. It will be appreciated that batteries may be removable from the hollow housing 26, or may be intended to be retained within the hollow housing 26 during normal use. Where the batteries are replaceable and intended to be removable from the hollow housing 26, the hollow housing 26 may, for example, comprise a releasable door or cover to enable access to the interior of the hollow housing 26. Where batteries are rechargeable and intended to be retained within the hollow housing 26 in normal use, the hollow ⁷ housing 26, or indeed other components of the wearable assembly 10, may comprise at least one charge port to enable recharging of batteri es.

The first 18 and second 20 end portions of the headgear 12 are connected to respective ones of the first 14 and second 16 housings. In some examples, the first 18 and second 20 end portions of the headgear 12 are connected to respective ones of the first 14 and second 16 housings such that relative movement is enabled between the first 18 and second 20 end portions of the headgear 12 and the respective first 14 and second 16 housings. As shown in Figure 1, a swivel pin 28 is used for such a connection, but it will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that other forms of connection are possible. To enable electrical connection of batteries contained within the hollow housings 26 of the first 18 and second 20 end portions of the headgear to components internal of the first 14 and second 16 housings, the swivel pins 28 are hollow, for example to allow electrical wiring and the like to pass therethrough.

In this example, the first 14 and second 16 housings comprise ear cups such as those typically used for so-called “over-the-ear” headphones, which are generally hemispherical and hollow in form. While in this example the headgear doubles up as headphones, in other examples there are no headphones. In examples in which headphones are provided, the headphones may be for listening to music, for example streamed from a mobile device either remote from (that is, wirelessly) or built into the headgear. In other examples, the headphones may impart, training information to the wearer, either from a remote trainer or a monitoring device.

Each housing 14, 16 houses a speaker assembly 32, as shown in Figure 3, and comprises annular padding 34 configured to surround an ear of a wearer of the wearable assembly 10. Details of the speaker assembly 32 are not pertinent to the present invention, and so will not be described here for the sake of brevity, but it will be recognised by a person skilled in the art that any appropriate speaker assembly may be chosen . In use, the speaker assemblies 32 received within the first 14 and second 16 housings are configured to receive power from all batteries 36, 38 disposed in the first 18 and second 20 end portions of the headband. Power transfer wiring (not shown) runs through the headgear 12 between the first 18 and second 20 end portions, for example through the central portion 22 and arms 24. Such an arrangement provides increased flexibility in power distribution between the speaker assemblies 32. In other examples, the speaker assemblies 32 received within the first 14 and second 16 housings may be configured to receive power from batteries 36, 38 disposed in respective ones of the first 18 and second 20 end portions of the headband. For example, a speaker assembly 32 received within the first housing 14 may be configured to be powered by the batteries within the first end portion 18 of the headgear 12, whilst a speaker assembly 32 received within the second air treatment housing 16 may be configured to be powered by batteries 38 within the second end portion 20 of the headgear 12.

The first 14 and second 16 housings of the wearable assembly 10 further comprise ambient air inlets 40, filter assemblies 42, outlet apertures 43 and airflow generators 44.

The ambient air inlets 40 of each of the first 14 and second 16 housings comprise a plurality of apertures through which ambient air may be drawn into the interior of the housings 14, 16. Each filter assembly 42 is disposed within a respective housing 14, 16 between the ambient air inlet 40 and a respective airflow generator 44. Each filter assembly 42 comprises a filter material chosen to provide a desired degree of filtration of air to be provided to a wearer in use. In some examples, the filter assembly 42 may be omitted.

The airflow generators 44 each comprise a motor driven impellor which draws ambient air from the respective ambient air inlets 40, through the respective filter assembly 42, and outputs a flow of air through the respective outlet apertures 43 of the housings 14, 16. The airflow generators 44 are configured to produce a continuous flow of air with a flow rate of around 5 litres/ second. The airflow generators 44 in the first 14 and second 16 housings are configured to receive power from all of the batteries 36, 38. Power transfer wiring (not shown) runs through the headgear 12 as described above in relation to the speaker assemblies 32. In other examples, the first housing 14 may be configured to be powered by batteries 36 within the first end portion 18 of the headgear 12, whilst the airflow generator 44 in the second housing 16 may be configured to be powered bybatteries 38 within the second end portion 20 of the headgear 10. This may allow at least one airflow generator 44 to be operable in the event of failure of batteries 36, 38 in one of the first 18 and second 20 end portions. As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the air treatment assembly 17 comprises a first 19 and a second 21 canister. The first and second canisters 19, 21 are each attached to the headgear 12 and are connected to the first and second assemblies 14, 16 by respective first and second conduits 23, 25. The first and second canisters 19, 21 each contain nitrogen, which can be mixed with the ambient air drawn through the air inlets 40 to change the gaseous composition of the flow of air output through the outlet apertures 43. By combining the ambient air with nitrogen, this creates a reduced-oxygen airflow' which can be output through the outlet apertures 43 to be provided to the wearer of the wearable assembly 10. Providing the reduced-oxygen airflow to the wearer simulates the wearer being at altitude, which may provide the benefits of altitude training while the wearer is not at altitude.

In some examples, the first and second canisters 19, 21 contain a gas other than nitrogen, such as oxygen, or another substance such as a medicine, an e-liquid (i.e. a liquid that is normally used in an electronic cigarette) or a scent/odour. Oxygen can be mixed with the ambient air to change the gaseous composition of the flow of air output through the outlet apertures 43. By mixing the ambient air with oxygen from the first and second canisters 19, 21 , this creates an oxygen enriched airflow which can be provided to the wearer of the wearable assembly 10. The oxygen enriched airflow may help to provide the wearer with a sufficient amount of oxygen, even when the wearer is an environment which has a relatively low' volume of oxygen in the ambient air.

Although tw ⁷ o canisters are shown in Figure 1 to 3, in some examples a single canister is used where the single canister is connected to both the first and the second housings 14, 16. The first and second canisters 19, 21 are also removable from the wearable assembly to allow the canisters 19, 21 to be replenished and/or replaced when the contents of the canisters 19, 21 is depleted.

In another example of the wearable assembly 10 shown in Figure 4, the air treatment assembly 17 comprises a first and a second catalyst 27, 29 instead of the first and second canisters 19, 21 . The first and second catalysts 27, 29 are arranged in respective ones of the first and second housings 14, 16, downstream of the airflow generators 44. The catalysts 27, 29 in this example contain a zeolite and are configured to change the gaseous composition of the flow of air from the airflow generators 44 by removing oxygen from the flow of air as the flow of air passes through the catalysts 27, 29. This generates the reduced-oxygen airflow which can then be provided to the wearer of the wearable assembly 10. Although a zeolite is used in this example, in some examples another suitable substance, such as a metal-organic framework (MOF) may be used.

The nozzle assembly 100 is shown connected to the remainder of the wearable assembly 10 in Figures 1 and 2, and is shown removed from the remainder of the wearable assembly 10 in Figures 5 and 6.

The nozzle assembly 100 has first 106 and second 108 ends, and is curved between the first 106 and second 108 ends such that the nozzle assembly 100 is generally arcuate in form. The first 106 and second 108 ends comprise respective first 110 and second 112 end sections that connect to respective ones of the first 14 and second 16 housings, as will be described in more detail hereafter, and that connect to a midsection 102 of the nozzle assembly by first and second hinges 104. When the nozzle assembly 100 is connected to the first 14 and second 16 housings, and the head wearable assembly 10 is worn by a wearer, the nozzle assembly 100 is configured (and can be adjusted) to extend in front of the face of the wearer, particularly in front of the mouth and lower nasal region of the wearer, without contacting the face of the wearer.

The midsection 102 is generally hollow in form, and has an air outlet 120, which is defined by a mesh. Upper and lower surfaces of the midsection 102 comprise flow guides 122 that extend rearwardly, for example toward a void defined between the first 110 and second 112 end sections, and act to guide airflow, such as the reduced-oxygen airflow, emitted from the nozzle assembly 100 toward a mouth and nasal region of a face of a wearer in use. The flow guides 122 may be formed of a resiliency deformable material to allow for some deformation of the midsection and such that wearer comfort is provided in the event of accidental contact with a face of a wearer in use. As shown in Figures 2 and 5, the midsection 102 includes a main body 123 having a first end and a second end, and extension mechanisms 121 that connect the first end and second end of main body 123 to the respective first and second hinges 104. The extension mechanisms 121 may take many forms, and may, for example, comprise a telescoping and/or ratchet mechanism that enables a length of the nozzle assembly 100 to be selectively increased or decreased by a wearer. The extension mechanisms 121 are hollow, and act as conduits to carry airflow from the first 110 and second 112 end sections to the main body 123 of the midsection 102 in use. The first and second hinges 104 allow rotation of the midsection 102 relative to the first 110 and second 112 end sections. The midsection 102 also has a central crease or ridge 107, which may allow for some deformation of the mid section to allow for greater conformability of the nozzle assembly 100 and to accommodate moti on of the nozzle assembly 100. Such an arrangement may provide flexibility in the positioning of the midsection 102, and hence the air outlet 120, relative to a face of the wearer in use, and hence may provide greater conformability and increased comfort.

The first 110 and second 112 end sections connect to respective ones of the first 14 and second 16 housings to connect the nozzle assembly 100 to the first 14 and second 16 housings. The first 14 and second 16 housings connect to the first 18 and second 20 end portions of the headgear 12. Thus the nozzle assembly 100 may be thought of as being indirectly connected to the headgear 10 via the first 14 and second 16 housings.

The first 110 and second 1 12 end sections act as conduits to carry airflow, such as the reduced-oxygen airflow, from the first 14 and second 16 housings respectively to the midsection 102 in use. To this end, the end sections 110, 112 have curved ends which are curved to match an outer surface of the first 14 and second 16 housings. The first 110 and second 112 end sections are generally hollow, and have inlet apertures 114 which are configured to be in direct fluid communication with outlet apertures 43 of the first 14 and second 16 housings when the nozzle assembly 100 is connected to the first 14 and second 16 housings respectively. The end sections 110, 112 comprise magnetic hinges 1 16 and magnetic detents 1 18 which respectively rotatably connect and retain the midsection 102 relative to the first 14 and second 16 housings. To this end, each of the first 14 and second 16 housings comprise respective upper 124 and lower 126 magnets, with the upper magnets 124 located to engage the magnetic detents 118, and the lower magnets 126 located to engage the magnetic hinges 116. The magnetic hinges 116 enable the nozzle assembly 100 to rotate relative to the first 14 and second 16 housings.

In Figures 1 and 2, the nozzle assembly 100 is connected to the first 14 and second 16 housings and is held in place by the engagement of the upper magnets 124 with the magnetic detents 118 and the magnetic hinges 116 with the lower magnets 126. The inlet apertures 114 of the first 110 and second 112 end sections of the midsection 102 are substantially aligned with, and coincident with, the outlet apertures 43 of the respective first 14 and second 16 housings. When airflow is provided by the airflow generators, such as the reduced-oxygen airflow, it is able to pass through the outlet apertures 43, into the inlet apertures 114, and then flow through the midsection 102 to the air outlet 120 where it is provided to the wearer.

In this example, as shown in Figure 6, the nozzle assembly 100 comprises an airflow composition sensor 125 that is configured to monitor the composition of the airflow from the air outlet 120. When the air treatment assembly 17 creates the reduced-oxygen airflow (either through mixing the ambient air with nitrogen from the canisters 19, 21 or by using the catalysts 27, 29), the airflow composition sensor 125 determines information indicative of the composition of the reduced-oxygen airflow, such as the proportion of oxygen within the reduced-oxygen airflow. The airflow composition sensor 125 is connected to a controller 37 which is configured to control operation of the air treatment assembly 17 and the airflow generator 44. The information from the airflow composition sensor 125 is received by the controller 37 and the composition of the airflow provided to the wearer can be controlled based on the information, for example by altering the amount of nitrogen mixed with the ambient air by the air treatment assembly 17. This may allow the composition of the airflow to be controlled and adjusted to meet the requirements of the wearer of the wearable assembly 10.

In the example of Figures 1 to 3, where the canisters 19, 21 containing nitrogen are used to create the reduced-oxygen airflow, the composition of the airflow can be adjusted using, for example, mixing valves (not shown). The mixing valves are configured to receive the flow of air from the airflow generators 44 along with the nitrogen from the cannisters 19, 21, and output the reduced-oxygen airflow. A first mixing valve is arranged in the first housing 14 downstream of the airflow generator 44 and the first canister 19, and a second mixing valve is arranged in the second housing 16 downstream of the airflow generator 44 and the second canister 21. The mixing valves can be controlled to alter the amount of nitrogen from the canisters 19, 21 being mixed with the flow of air, to therefore control the composition of the airflow. In some examples, an outlet of each of the canisters 19, 21 comprises a regulator to control the amount of nitrogen exiting the canisters 19, 21. This may control the amount of nitrogen mixing with the flow of air to control the composition of the airflow.

In the example of Figure 4, where the catalysts 27, 29 are used to create the reduced- oxygen airflow, the composition of the airflow can be adjusted using, for example, flow splitters (not shown). A first flow splitter is arranged in the first housing 14 downstream of the airflow generator 44 and upstream of the first catalyst 27, and a second flow splitter is arranged in the second housing 16 downstream of the airflow generator 44 and upstream of the second cataly st 29. The first and second flow splitters are configured to split the flow of air from the airflow generators 44 between respective ones of the first and second catalysts 27, 29 and the outlet apertures 43. As such, the flow splitters are configured to control the amount of the flow of air which passes through the catalysts 27, 29 to control the composition of the airflow. For example, w hen an airflow with a relative small reduction in oxygen content is required, the flow splitters are configured to direct a majority of the flow of air directly to the outlet apertures 43, and a smaller proportion of the flow of air is directed through the catalysts 27, 29. When a larger reduction in oxygen is required, the flow splitters are configured to direct a larger proportion of the flow of air through the catalysts 27, 29 than directly to the outlet apertures 43.

The wearable assembly 10 also comprises an environment sensor 127, which is configured to determine information indicative of an environment or surroundings, or the makeup or quality of the ambient air, in which the wearable assembly 10 is located. As with the airflow composition sensor 125, the environment sensor 127 is also connected to the controller 37. The information from the environment sensor 127 can be used alone, or together with the information from the airflow composition sensor 125, to control (via the controller 37) the composition of the airflow provided to the wearer. For example, the information from the environment sensor may indicate that the wearer is in a region which has a relatively lower volume of oxygen in the ambient air, and the amount of nitrogen mixed with the ambient air to create the reduced-oxygen airflow may be adjusted downwardly to reflect this.

The information from the airflow composition sensor 125 and/or the environment sensor 127 can be wirelessly transmitted to a remote device via a transmitter 129 of the wearable assembly 10. For example, the information from the airflow composition sensor 125 is transmitted via the transmitter 129 to a wearable device, such as a smart watch, of the wearer of the wearable device 10. This may allow the wearer to monitor the composition of the airflow that they are being provided with by the air treatment assembly 17. Indeed, information from the wearable device, as has been alluded to, may be converted to audible information and transmitted to the wearer via the headphones.

In use, the wearable assembly 10 is located on a head of a wearer such that the first 14 and second 16 housings are each located over an ear of the wearer, and the nozzle assembly 100 extends in front of a mouth and lower nasal region of the face of the wearer, without contacting the face of the wearer. The airflow generators 44 are actuable to draw air through the ambient air inlet 40 of each of the first 14 and second 16 air treatment housings and through the filter assemblies 42. The ambient air is mixed with the nitrogen from the canisters 19, 21, or passed through the catalysts 27, 29, to create the reduced- oxygen airflow, and the reduced-oxygen airflow is expeiled through the outlet apertures 43 into the inlet apertures 114 of the first 110 and second 112 connector portions of the conduit 102. The reduced-oxygen airflow travels through the conduit, and is delivered from the nozzle assembly 100, via the first 126 and second 128 air outlet regions, to the wearer of the wearable assembly 10. Due to the flow rate of the reduced-oxygen airflow, a volume of reduced-oxygen air is created around the mouth and nasal area of the wearer. The speaker assemblies 32 may provide audio data to a user, for example in the form of music and the like, and alternatively or additionally may provide noise cancellation for noise caused by operation of the airflow generators 44 or any other unwanted noise.

Although depicted here with two airflow generators 44, each feeding one end of the nozzle assembly 100, it will be appreciated that, in alternative embodiments, only a single airflow generator 44 may be provided, which may either feed both or one of the ends of the nozzle assembly 100. In such an embodiment, the nozzle assembly 100 may still comprise the conduit 102 and releasable outlet body 104.

Although the first and second housings 14, 16 described herein comprise ear cups and speaker assemblies, in some examples these features are omitted. Although the wearable assembly 10 described herein is head wearable, in some examples the air treatment assembly 17 and/or the airflow generators 44 may be provided remote from the headgear 12. For example, the air treatment assembly 17 and/or the airflow generators 44 may be provided in or on another wearable item, such as in a backpack or on a belt, while the headgear comprises the nozzle assembly 100.