As practical as they may be, wireless earbuds tend to collect plenty of bacteria, dirt and layers of earwax in the charging case - in other words, exactly the kinds of stuff you don't want to be jamming into your ear canal.

In order to reduce the risk of us getting an ear infection, the charging case on the latest set of earbuds from Philips doubles as a cleaning tool.

While the Philips ST702 are charging, the tips are also being bombarded with UV light to disinfect them. It's the same kind of technology that has also started to appear on wireless phone chargers to kill germs off your phone.

But rather than targeting germophobes, Philips is hoping to sell these waterproof headphones (IPX5) to sweaty athletic types who want to recharge a damp pair of earbuds without worrying about the consequences.

Set for release in February for around US$200 , the ST702s are said to last for up to six hours of use before needing a charge, while the case stretches that to 18 hours.

 - dpa