The other day my friend made a desperate plea to Apple on Twitter: could you please make it so that I can unlock my phone while wearing a mask? A reasonable request in today’s day and age but not one that Apple may be able to solve. But that’s okay because a solution may be on the way thanks to a new transparent, self-cleaning mask currently in development.
As CNET puts it, “Many cities already require their residents to wear masks in public and major airlines have announced they will soon make them mandatory on flights. Face masks have become an important part of our new normal. So far, shortages of N95 and surgical masks, both reserved for health care workers, have meant people are relying on cloth masks.
But while these types of mask do help contain the virus, they have significant shortcomings. They don’t filter out small air particles, they have to be washed properly on a regular basis and they’re not well ventilated. They also make it impossible to unlock your phone with facial recognition.
Huami hopes to solve most of these problems with the Amazfit Aeri mask. It comes with removable air filters and will have built-in ultraviolet light emitters. By plugging the mask into a USB-C plug for a few minutes, it can disinfect itself after every use. This would allow each filter to be effective for one and a half months, according to a Huami spokesperson. That’s much longer than the current eight hours N95 masks are good for.
The Aeri mask would also be made with transparent anti-fog material so that enough of your facial features would be visible to unlock your phone using facial recognition technology like Face ID. And the modular design would allow it to house different accessories like an eye shield or a fan, which would make exercising with a face mask slightly less suffocating.”
But it’s the idea that these masks can work alongside facial recognition technology that really makes them stand out. Aside from unlocking phones transparent masks could also alleviate safety concerns (since store clerks and bank tellers can now see who they are interacting with) and make socializing feel more normal since you can see who you are talking to. They would also make it easier for deaf people who rely on lip reading to communicate.
All in all, I hope that this technology continues to progress and that these innovative masks hit the market soon. Before it’s too late.
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