A mask that alerts wearer to hazardous air
Health & Wellbeing
The Social Mask features a 3D-printed polycarbonate frame, fitted with biosensors, Bluetooth capabilities, and an air vent
Spotted: When the COVID-19 pandemic hit us, we had to change the way we live practically every area of our lives — including the wearing of masks whenever we leave the house. With this in mind, MIT’s Pandemic Response CoLab has launched the #ReimagineMask Challenge, urging designers and engineers to reinvent face coverings. The winning entry was the Social Mask, a minimalist, transparent face mask by Romanian designer and engineer Burzo Ciprian. The mask not only stops microparticles and microorganisms from entering your respiratory system, but it also alerts you of their presence too. It features a 3D-printed polycarbonate frame, fitted with biosensors, Bluetooth capabilities, and an air vent.
The biosensor that is integrated into the Social Mask can connect to smartphones via an app, which will record air quality metrics, capturing pollution levels and the presence of air-borne pathogens. The wearer will be alerted if there is something hazardous in the air. Very fitting to its transparent design, Ciprian focuses on data transparency, with a temperature sensor built into the side of the frame. This will display the wearer’s temperature and allow those around them to know if they are healthy or feeling feverish. Furthermore, the app creates a map of the places that the user has been and calculates the risk of COVID-19 infection.
The Social Mask is currently still a prototype under development.
Written By: Serafina Basciano
Explore more: Health & Wellbeing Innovations | COVID-19 Innovations
7th December 2020
Email: burzocipri@gmail.com
Website: burzo.design
