Modular mask turns PPE into tech gadget, sportswear, more
A full-face modular mask developed by a group of entrepreneurs, product designers and PPE specialists is being described by one of its developers as everything from personal protective equipment, to a tech gadget to sportswear.
The Blanc covers the eyes, nose and mouth, using HEPA filters that have built-in visual colour scale to indicate when it’s time to change. The creators say the Blanc is “a thousand masks in one” with a front panel that change in terms of material, colour and texture. Front panels are affixed by magnets recessed into the mask frame and retractable tape holds the mask in place in the parietal zone. The mask can be put on using a "face wash" gesture with the palms of hands.
Dmitry Gorilovsky, founder of Woodenshark, the product team behind the concept said he was “mesmerised” by the vision of the Blanc founders.
“An unorthodox product philosophy allowed us to implement some bold constructive approach. Blanc's modular structure, a frame that maximises usable space and does away with unnecessary details, allows for the creation of an entirely new mask concept that can be pretty much anything,” he says. “It can be personal protective equipment, an accessory, sportswear, a privacy keeper, a tech gadget, a smart health wearable, an AR inventory and so on.”
The first iteration of the mask is being piloted as a fully analog device, with no electronic components. Future versions might implement modules such as Bluetooth, voice modulator and internal climate control.
