Routinely wearing surgical and/or respirator masks is already a common practice in many Asian countries. With the recent and very serious outbreak of Coronovirus, these types of masks have become more ubiquitous than ever.

 

*PSA* Frequent hand washing is one of the most effective things you can do to protect yourself and your family from getting sick. Here’s a detailed guide on proper hand washing by the CDC.

 

Product designer Danielle Baskin recently came up with the concept to custom print your face onto an N95 respiratory mask that will work with your phone’s facial recognition features.

Facial recognition is commonly used on today’s devices to unlock your phone and allow you to quickly log into your various apps.

 

 

After research and tests, Danielle and her team developed a contoured version of the N95 respiratory masks that are compatible with depth sensors. After setting an additional face in your phone it will recognize this ‘alternate’ version of yourself. [source]

 

 

After uploading an image of your face, Danielle and her team use computational mapping to convert your facial features into an image printed onto the surface of N95 surgical masks without distortion. Their printer uses inks made of natural dyes so it’s non-toxic and doesn’t affect breathability. [source]

 

 

Once available the masks will retail for $40. However they will not be produced while there’s still a global mask shortage due to the recent Coronovirus outbreak.

 

 

For more information visit faceidmasks.com.

 

 

When Danielle first published her idea on twitter it spawned an interesting conversation about the whole concept. Some found it rather dystopian; others worried about security; some thought of use cases beyond facial recognition (masks with different faces/moods); and several thought it was just plain stupid.

If you’re prone to twitter thread wormholes, this is a decent one!