The future of face masks

Team Polair

Team Polair’s modular design enables user to swap out mask bodies and choose a filter based on their environment.

A team of 24 undergraduate biomedical students from John Hopkins University were recently awarded the Future Forward Award and $250 000 in the XPRIZE Next-Gen Mask Challenge. The aim of the NextGen Mask Challenge was to reimagine protective face masks used to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by making them more comfortable, functional, accessible and stylish (xprize.org). Team Polair won the Future Forward award for their modular design which enables users to swap out mask bodies and choose a filter based on their environment’ (xprize.org). STEM Punks spoke with Team Polair members Nina Tedeschi and Jerry Zhang. Nina explained her interest in STEM. “My mum’s an engineer and I met some people really interested in the healthcare space. So, I majored in biomedical engineering and mechanical engineering. This is one of the first projects at college that really allowed me to break out of the space and just do things independently and build something that has a real impact.” Jerry explained the innovative origin of the mask design. “In our brainstorming sessions, we realised that no single mask can meet everyone’s needs. So, we designed one standard frame that attaches to your face. It’s very comfortable, but on top of the frame, you can have whatever option you want.” The brainstorming sessions were then followed by a deeper analysis of the underlying problem. Jerry continued, “in front of that, you have your design criteria. From that we used CAD software to create the virtual design and then we used 3D printing to model it. We were fortunate enough to partner with Honeywell, one of the large manufacturers, to have them professionally fabricate it.” What advice would Nina give her younger self? Nina responded, “I’d have to say, it’s a two-fold thing. First, ensure that you enjoy everything that you do. I’ve learned that time is so finite and there’s only a certain number of things you can do with your time. Make sure it’s something that counts and sits with your values and what you believe in. The other, is to keep challenging yourself. I’ve gone through my schooling and on project after project, I found the most joy in where I haven’t hit the limit and where I’ve kept pushing past, whatever I was told was the boundary and seeing things in a new light as a result. I feel the greatest point of where you can learn, not just about the world but about yourself, are those points where you are challenged and really pushing yourself to the limits to create something novel, new and exciting.” Jerry agreed with Nina’s advice and added, “when you pick up your projects, when you pick what you want to do in college and beyond, I think it’s very much about understanding who you are, what you like and what you don’t like.” More information about Team Polair and their mask design can be located at https://teampolair.com

STEM workshop