Ford uses his technical skills to solve a thorny coronavirus problem: designing a medical-grade facial mask that reveals users ’facial expressions and also allows people with hearing impairments read lips. The car manufacturer, which started producing personal protective equipment from an early age Coronavirus pandemic, has developed a face mask with transparent panels that also filters most airborne particles.
“In those early days, everyone was learning what it was like to live in a masked environment. We quickly identified that while it’s hard for everyone to wear a mask all day, for people with hearing impairments, it’s an even bigger challenge. “Jim Baumbick, leader of Ford’s PPE manufacturing effort, told CBS MoneyWatch. “This inspired us to think about how we could help serve these people to make it effective [with a mask] you take away from them another sense in which they trust communication and connection. “
Baumbick also sees potential for Ford clear respirators to improve interactions between doctors and patients, as well as faculty and students.
Courtesy of Ford
The mask is still under development and its filtration capacity has not yet been approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). NIOSH-approved N95 respirators form an airtight seal on the user’s face and filter at least 95% of airborne particles. Any mask that claims to be an N95 but does not carry the NIOSH approval seal is considered inauthentic or falsified, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
While N95 respirators offer strong protection against coronavirus, remain scarce and are recommended to be used only by healthcare workers. Healthcare and industrial products maker 3M recently acknowledged that it is still struggling to meet the demand of front-line workers despite quadrupling production in the US It currently manufactures 95 million respirators a month.
Ford expects the masks to be available in the spring, pending NIOSH certification. The company’s current goal is to test the respirators, initially with lifeguards, medical workers and teachers. It is still unclear how Ford masks will be distributed and whether they will be more available.
“We are looking for N95 certification and are working with NIOSH to make sure we go through the entire testing regime before putting them on the market,” Baumbick said.
According to Ford, clear plastic panels are coated with an anti-fog treatment and can be replaced. The panels are designed to provide a complete view of users ’faces, while the side panels of the masks consist of a highly efficient filtration material, Baumbick said.
—CBS News, Michael Roppolo, contributed the information