NeoMates

Protective Mask Shortage

After learning about the shortage of protective masks, our team felt that we could utilize the skills we have learned to not only design a more comfortable mask, but to also successfully scale our product. Many people have resorted to using materials around the house to create their own masks during the pandemic. Although these homemade masks serve as decent protection against COVID-19, many others do not have access to these materials. Our product is designed as an alternate to the N95 masks, and will be distributed to populations that would otherwise not have access to this level of protection.

In order to accomplish this, we split our team in two subgroups where each subgroup did extensive research on either N95 filter alternatives or materials. We discovered fabric from a company called Wazoodle that is antimicrobial, washable, and water resistant. Therefore, our team proceeded with designing our masks using this fabric. Due to high demand for items from Wazoodle, we also discovered that bed sheets with a 300 thread count worked well as an alternate. Bed sheets with a 300 thread count are able to provide 40%-60% filtration [1].

To address the comfort of protective masks, our team has moved away from the design of a typical N95 mask in order to create a mask that decreases pressure around ears. Along with this, our masks will be sizable according to the head shape of the user. Overall, our masks offer sufficient protection against respiratory droplets, are comfortable, machine washable, and can accomodate different head sizes.

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Our Design

The above figure showcases the improved design elements our team has incorporated into our mask.

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What you can do to help

By following our protective mask guidelines, you will be able to create masks that are efficient and made with materials that have been researched to act well against respiratory droplets. We recommend either using antimicrobial and water resistant fabric from Wazoodle, or cotton bed sheets with a 300 thread count. If proceeding with bed sheets, we would like to note that bed sheets of a higher thread count will increase the percentage of droplets that are blocked; however, it could affect breathability. Below is a powerpoint presentation with step-by-step instructions on how to create our protective masks: