The Airsonett Protexo is a futuristic-looking device that's designed to help atopic (allergen-triggered) asthma sufferers while they sleep — a claim that's been bolstered by a recent study in a respiratory medicine journal called Thorax. Rather than just removing allergen particles from the air like traditional air cleaners, the device uses a technology called TLA (temperature controlled laminar airflow) that creates a downward flowing filtered "air zone" that envelops users below and protects them from allergens and other irritants. Protexo appears to be a single-bed variant of the company's Opragon equipment, which is used to provide filtered air for surgical theaters.

The aforementioned study tested Protexo against non-TLA placebo devices on a trial group of 282 atopic asthmatics for one year. The findings show participants experienced less airway inflammation, with the most severe asthma sufferers benefitting the most. Protexo isn't available in the US yet, but it's possible that the device could make its way into hospitals like Opragon has in other countries. In the meantime, check out the PR video below, which shows the TLA filtered air zone in action.