Around the world, masks and personal protective equipment for healthcare workers are running dangerously low as the coronavirus continues to spread. So some fashion brands are stepping in.
Some companies, like American Giant, Laws of Motion, and Under Armour, are trying to meet the immediate need by making large quantities of surgical masks as fast as possible. But others are rethinking the very basics of mask design and experimenting with different materials and manufacturing techniques as they develop solutions.
And it’s about time. Even before the coronavirus crisis, doctors criticized surgical masks for their fit. Dan Formosa, who has spent his career designing medical equipment, says hospitals tend to select masks based on cost rather than on how well they fit and perform. As a result, many masks don’t fit snugly on the face, which is both uncomfortable and potentially dangerous, since it means that virus-laden droplets can pass in and out of the mask.
Ministry of Supply
Gihan Amarasiriwardena, cofounder and president of Ministry of Supply, has spent the last two weeks thinking about the fundamentals of mask design. He says that, at the most basic level, masks have two features that prevent particles from spreading: fit and filtration. His team is attempting to improve on both. The company, which is based in Boston, is partnering with doctors, design experts at MIT, and MakerHealth, a network that advocates for prototyping of medical devices.
For the masks, the company is using viscose, which is highly breathable, soft, and moisture wicking. To 3D-print them, it’s using a Shima Seiki machine, which is typically used for knitting materials like wool into sweaters. The 3D-knitting process allows them to create a mask that better accounts for the face’s complex topography, and since the resulting fabric is stretchy, it can adapt to the wearer’s mouth and nose.
OESH Shoes
When Casey Kerrigan quit her job as a doctor to launch a shoe company called OESH in 2011, she realized that shoe factories didn’t have the capacity to create the soles she wanted to make for her shoes. At the time, 3D printers were starting to emerge, so she decided to 3D-print her soles using a flexible elastomer material that comes in the form of pellets.
When it became clear that the U.S. needed masks, several designers developed prototypes for 3D printers that used hard plastic, but Kerrigan thought it would be better to use a soft elastomer instead. Since she had experience using a soft elastomer for insoles, she was able to design a mask that better adapted to the body. She adapted a pattern for a respirator mask from a company called Copper3D, but swapped out the hard plastic for an elastomer that provided a more comfortable fit across the nose and mouth. (It is available for anyone to download here.) “It can make an airtight seal,” says Kerrigan.”This is currently really hard to do even with N95 masks.”
The mask has are two circular vents with removable caps that allow you to insert circular air filters. Kerrigan recommends using commercial filters, like the MERV-13 typically used for air-conditioners, which are still available at Lowe’s or Home Depot. (HEPA vacuum bags would also work.) Like Ministry of Supply’s mask, this one is washable, as long as you remove the filter material. It’s also 100% recyclable.
Rothy’s
Unlike the two other startups, Rothy’s has focused its energies on creating masks that have a good fit but no filtration system. In other words, this mask isn’t designed to protect the wearer from infection but rather to ensure that droplets don’t leave the wearer’s mouth and enter the atmosphere, potentially endangering other people.
These masks aren’t necessarily meant to be used in a COVID-19 ward. But there are many places where healthcare workers need masks to curb the spread of the virus, including those working in lower-risk areas of the hospital. And now that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all Americans wear masks when they go out in public, there’s likely to be an increased demand across the board. Roth Martin, cofounder and CEO of Rothy’s, realized the need early on. “Our factory is in China and our workers over there experienced the crisis before us,” he says. “Every day people wanted masks, but couldn’t get their hands on them. So our workers were the ones who suggested we make masks.”
Rothy’s has made the design of these masks open-source and has spearheaded the Open Innovation Coalition, which invites brands to join forces to develop masks. (They will announce which other companies have signed up shortly.) For now, Rothy‘s is getting ready to ship over its first batch of several hundred masks, which will be available for sale and support a donation of medical-grade masks to American health care professionals on the front lines.