Summary on Innovative Face Mask
“ ‘Helloface’ is an innovative transparent alternative to Type IIR EN14683 medical face masks made up of a 3-ply construction that prevents large particles from reaching patients." (University of Hertfordshire, 2022) The usage of masks greatly increased during the Covid19 Pandemic and the creator of Helloface Dean Ezekiel found that face masks were creating an obstacle for talking between people, thus he launched a new company to face that problem by producing clear facemasks.
The plan to start the company was inspired by his wife who is partially deaf and needed lip reading to help her understand when she could not hear the person. Dean understood that being able to communicate via lip reading and face expression is important as there are 11 million people in the Uk registered as deaf or blind and it would help out in the medical sector and industries where facial recognition is crucial.
The article emphasizes why having facial recognition is crucial for communication in the medical sector due to the large number of people being deaf or having difficulty in hearing. Having a typical mask to prevent Covid 19 may be effective but having a clear and innovative face mask where others can be able to read your lips may be more essential for people who are deaf or have difficulty in hearing.
Before the pandemic, face masks were not used much by the common folks. However due to the sudden pandemic of Covid19, the use of face masks is now seen everywhere. This creates a problem that many people face, communication. Research done by University of Sydney’s Voice Research Laboratory discovered how voice changes when wearing a facemask (Michelle Blowes, 2021). I believe that having an innovative face mask would be an effective solution for communication disadvantage and discomfort caused by wearing a facemask during a pandemic.
It is known that there are 430 million people or over 5% of the human population that need rehabilitation to fix their hearing loss (432 million adults and 34 million children) (World Health Organization, 2021). Many of those 430 million people require lip reading or facial expression to help them understand others as they may not be to express it. Sign language can be used to communicate with people with hearing but there are not many people that are able to use sign language, even a majority of people who have hearing loss do not use sign language. A study showed that only 1% of those with hearing loss use sign language (Susan Lacke,2020). Thus not being able to do lip reading or see the facial expression of others causes a great disadvantage to those with hearing loss and with the use of Innovative face masks that are clear, like the Helloface face mask that was created would be of significant help.
Another problem that many face when wearing a facemask, is having breathing difficulty.
This applies especially to people with medical conditions like asthma. According to the World Health Organisation (2022), there were 262 million people affected by asthma. Asthma is a respiratory condition that affects breathing difficulty. According to an article by Lori Botterman (2022), Researchers from the University of Illinois Chicago did an online survey with 501 adults with asthma regarding mask usage during Covid19. The survey showed that when wearing a mask, 84% experienced discomfort, and 75% reported trouble breathing or shortness of breath at least a little. Having a face mask that could ease wearing a face mask for those with respiratory conditions would be a good solution to this. This mask could also be used by everyone, as most people have encountered discomfort with breathing.
I think that innovative face mask for people with medical conditions are good, however it may not work for everyone. Not everyone is seeking out innovative face masks that could help them as most will not think to solve the problem with face masks. It may not be accessible to everyone as the general face mask used can be seen everywhere and is cheaper for most people. For a clear mask like Helloface face mask, it requires the person with hearing loss to wear it for it to work.
In conclusion, most people would be able to use a face mask daily with no problem. However people with medical conditions may not be as fortunate to use normal face masks as well. Because of that, innovative face masks were designed and created to help those who encounter problems due to their medical conditions without compromising safety during the pandemic.
Source:
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery/fullarticle/2777510
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/deafness-and-hearing-loss
https://www.accessibility.com/blog/do-all-deaf-people-use-sign-language
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/asthma
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