Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute Of Technology (MIT) are taking face masks to the next level with a new heated reusable version designed to inactivate coronavirus particles.
Simple medical face masks have been proven to effectively filter out viruses like COVID-19, and the majority of countries now recommend wearing a mask while in public to help reduce the risk of infection.
The reusable masks are fitted with a heatable copper mesh, and as the wearer breathes, air flows across the mesh and any viral particles in the air are inactivated by the high temperatures. Purified air is then filtered out through vents on either side of the mask.
Researchers have suggested the mask could be used by healthcare workers who come into more frequent contact with the virus, and could also be suitable for places like public transport, where social distancing is harder to maintain.
The idea, which is being developed by MIT staff and graduate students, has been submitted for peer review and is currently being prototyped with an eye to beginning testing in the near future.
The team started work on the mask as far back as March, when they realised that no masks existed that tried to kill the virus using heat. The researchers calculated that a temperature of about 90 degrees would degrade virus particles by a factor of between a thousand and a million, depending on the mask size.
The mask works by running an electrical current across a 0.1-millimeter thick copper mesh powered by a small battery. The design modelled by MIT uses neoprene casing for insulation, ensuring the mask doesn’t get too hot for the wearer, and has enough power to last for a few hours.
