The Covid Project
Designed to be used with any mask, this insert separates the exhaled air so the user breaths in fresh air with each breath. A lightweight frame is over moulded with a flexible tpe rubber that creates multiple one way valves in front of the mouth. The result is the expelled breath is separated and each inhale is fresh air.
When the pandemic shut down the world, it created an interesting moment for designers around the world. It is rare that almost the entire world was focused on one group of products. Whether it was to buy, make, design, or invent, face masks were front and center. Rather than create a new mask that perhaps was marginally better than another, the goal was to create a device to make almost any mask better.
The frame as well as the mould for the fins was 3D printed. The fins were then moulded in silicone and glued to the frame. In production, these elements would be injection moulded together.