https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/minsoo/worlds-first-self-adhering-clear-n95-face-mask
The SEEUS95 isn’t what you’d call a ‘conventional’ mask. Designed to be the spiritual successor to the common masks we strap around our faces, and just one step away from us wearing glass spheres around our heads like astronauts, the SEEUS95 is a futuristic take on masks – designed to usher us into the new normal… where masks are prevalent, but aren’t a visual barrier. The SEEUS95 comes with a rather revolutionary design that’s entirely transparent, as effective as an N95 mask, reusable, and attaches to your face without hooking around the ear.
Take some time to watch the video above and you’ll realize that the SEEUS95 wasn’t inspired by traditional masks. In fact, it takes an entirely ground-up approach, starting from scratch to create a new breathing apparatus using the materials currently available to us. The most noticeable thing about the SEEUS95 is the fact that it isn’t really noticeable. Molded out of clear silicone that’s medical-grade, reusable, and easy-to-clean, the mask adheres to your face by gently sticking to the skin around your nose, cheeks, and chin. A unique lining made from a skin-healing vegan polymer called chitosan allows the SEEUS95 to gently hold onto your face. The chitosan creates a secure air-tight fit, preventing the mask from falling off even as you move your mouth, while also having its own skin-benefiting properties that give you a smoother epidermis, making sure you don’t get any ‘mask lines’ around your face. You can even attach ear-hooks as an optional add-on if you’d like an extra layer of security.
The SEEUS95 mask sits on your face almost like an extra layer of skin, creating a breathing-bubble between your mouth and the mask. Slim filters attach to the base (almost like a pair of gills), filtering the air you breathe just like an N95 mask would. These proprietary filters (developed and tested at MIT and the MIT Lincoln Laboratory) come made from a combination of bamboo/cotton, silk, silver, and carbon, to filter the air as well as neutralize any microorganisms. Bamboo and cotton help filter dust and moisture from the air, while the natural electrostatic properties of silk help attract and trap viruses. Nano-silver particles release ions that kill these microorganisms, while carbon helps neutralize any odor molecules, giving you fresh, clean air with every breath you take. The all-natural filters can be periodically replaced too, without creating any long-term waste in the process (a common problem with standard HEPA filters).
Designed as a response to the problems with most current masks on the market today, the SEEUS95 radically approaches how a mask should look, feel, and behave. Partnerships with MIT, University of Massachusetts, and the US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command-Soldier Center helped the designers accelerate and validate their prototypes, creating something that isn’t just revolutionary but also passes all the prerequisite tests required to work as a better alternative to a face-mask. Its completely transparent design is much more freeing, allowing people to show their face in public, being able to smile at one another or even communicate with the hearing-disabled. Moreover, the transparent casing even works with smartphones using face-unlock programs. The absence of an ear-hook is perhaps the most ground-breaking feature of them all, as the mask’s silicone and chitosan lining helps naturally and securely fix itself in place, adjusting to your face’s contours, and even working on people with beards. Each mask comes with an anti-fog coating on the inside too, preventing your mask from fogging up too much, and the chitosan layer creates a secure seal to prevent your spectacles from ever fogging up too. The eco-friendly N95 filters on each side help trap dust, smoke, pollution, allergens, while neutralizing germs like bacteria, viruses, and even odor molecules. The reusable nature of the SEEUS95 allows it to last for years with easy maintenance – The N95 filters can be detached and replaced periodically, while the silicone body of the mask can easily be cleaned under a faucet with soap, sterilized in a microwave, or even placed in a dishwasher.
At first glance, the SEEUS95 may seem like the kind of mask that takes getting used to, but that’s just a human response to any new behavior – it took us a while to get used to masks in the first place. Its unique design comes tested by the laboratories at MIT for efficacy and durability, while the transparent build and the absence of ear-loops truly represents a new era of face-masks… and I can’t wait to get my hands on one and try it out.
Designers: Alice Min Soo Chun & Sang Won Jee
Click Here to Buy Now: $39 $59 (34% off).
SEEUS95 – A Radical Transparent Shield And Respirator
The SEEUS95 is a reusable, transparent, earloop free and self-adhesive face mask with N95 bio-filter.
SEEUS95 masks can be worn with or without an air-tight seal. Just pull the silicon off the contact point under your chin area and the airtight function will release.
Made from all-natural and environmentally safer materials: Bamboo, Carbon, Silver, Silk, Silicon, and Chitosan.
Here’s the Problem
Millions of face masks made of polypropylene (plastic) are now ending up in the ocean and will stay there 450 years or longer.
Above: Rash and face dents of COVID-19 healthcare workers. The team wanted to put this in the past. They researched materials, incorporated N95 bio-filters, and tested prototypes with their friends and family to bring you a mask that is comfortable, sustainable, and offers better protection than market-leading masks made from non-woven polypropylene or cloth.
Testing SEEUS95
Filters with Natural Fibers
Skin Therapy Layer
How does the SEEUS95 stay on your face? Their proprietary sticky material: Skin Therapy Layer with skin rejuvenating Chitosan. The Skin Therapy Layer does more than just adhere directly to your skin. There’s the added benefit of Skin Therapy Layer healing power: silicone integrated with Chitosan is a natural vegan polymer used for skin healing in medical and beauty products, keeping skin protected, hydrated, healthy, and smooth. Take a look at what happens to the skin of a banana above.
Easy Sanitization
Can be easily cleaned and sanitized in many ways. If you are on the go and need a refresher, just wipe with alcohol. If you’re at home, just pop in the microwave for 3 minutes. Silicone is durable, more ocean-friendly than plastic/air spun polypropylene. It lasts longer, and stands up better against heat and cold than plastics. This is why the mask uses this material.
Founder & Inventor
Alice Min Soo Chun is a former Professor of Architectural Design and Material Technology at Columbia University and Parsons the New School. She is also the founder of Solight Design. In 2018, she was awarded the Patent for Humanity Award by the United States Patent Office for inventions that address global humanitarian crises. Learn more about her story by seeing her TEDxTalk.
Click Here to Buy Now: $39 $59 (34% off).