At first there were conflicting reports. Those that said it was a good idea to wear a mask to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and those that said masks were actually ineffective and could perhaps do more harm than good, with the actual act of putting on/taking off masks potentially causing the virus to reach your face.
But with the latest news of the coronavirus possibly spreading through talking and breathing, not just coughing and sneezing, its looking more and more likely that the CDC will soon issue guidance that everyone should be wearing masks going forward. Especially when you consider how the culturally acceptable norm of wearing masks in Asia seems to have helped prevent larger scale outbreaks from occurring throughout that region.
However, with healthcare professionals already facing a shortage of masks this would seem to present significant logistical challenges. After all, how can we all wear masks if there aren’t enough to go around? Amazon even just announced that they will no longer make masks available for sale to the general public. It would seem then that we would find ourselves in an untenable position.
But there may be hope on the horizon. A way to increase our supply of masks…
by making them reusable!
As Vice puts it:
“Hospitals are scrambling to sterilize and reuse N95 masks, deploying high-tech methods like ultraviolet light and concentrated hydrogen peroxide. But the father of the modern N95 mask thinks a much simpler technique could work: heating them.
Peter Tsai is a material scientist credited with inventing technology that makes material used in N95 masks. He told VICE News that he’s researching whether blasting the masks at intense temperatures for short periods would kill the virus without degrading the mask. He hopes to publish the results of his research within days.”
If heating masks really does kill the coronavirus and make them reusable that would surely help but it still wouldn’t alleviate the massive shortages that we are likely to face. We would still have a desperate need for additional masks. That’s where 3-D printing comes. The much maligned technology finally getting its moment in the sun thanks to the newly created Maker Mask, a freely available design for a 3-D printed mask made from standard 3-D printing materials. The goal would be for Maker Mask to make thousands of these masks per day with other 3-D printing shops and individual users from around the country following suit in an unprecedented call to arms.
As Geek Wire explains, “The 19 3D-printable parts that make up the mask are visible on the Maker Mask website along with details on materials needed, download instructions, videos, the ability to donate to the cause and more. The cost of each finished mask, printed in about three hours, is estimated to be between $2 and $3.”
Unfortunately, not everyone is going to be able to benefit from a 3-D printed mask. Such as people who are deaf and hard of hearing. People like that who rely on lip-reading to function in society are going to be at a severe disadvantage if everyone is suddenly wearing masks. Thankfully, Ashley Lawrence, a 21 year old college student from Kentucky has thought of that, designing a new face mask with a plastic cut out in the middle that still shows your mouth when you have it on. An ingenious solution to a problem that no one knew existed until recently.
All in all, it’s looking more and more likely that masks will play a key role in helping to flatten the curve and defeat COVID-19. Or at least buy us some time until a vaccine can be created or effective treatments put in place. Until then there will be plenty of opportunities for further innovation to take place whether that’s a new design or a new production method. Which begs the question: what will we think of next?!
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