'A Mask For All' Launches World's First Face Mask to Aid Hearing-Impaired Patients
The 3D printable mask is the first of its kind to feature a see-through front plate to help patients feel less isolated and it's 100% FREE to download
LOS ANGELES, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The team that launched 'A Mask For All,' a three-person project gone global, to provide a 3D printable face mask that works with ANY 3D printer, has created a see-through mask to help hearing-impaired patients feel less isolated.
Most of us have seen news articles of health care workers taping smiling photos of themselves to their protective gear, a movement started by Robertino Rodriguez, a therapist at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego, but nothing beats a real smile.
They developed the clever design after Manisha Nakade, a general practitioner in Milton Keynes, England, reached out to ask if there was anything they could do to help the hearing-impaired community who were struggling with face masks covering their caregivers' faces.
"I've been thinking about a design like this to help people connect through smiles. When I heard from a user about the deaf community, I knew we had to do it," said Amine Arezki, Ph.D.
"This new, see-though mask design will help hearing-impaired patients who rely on lip-reading for communication," said Tito Melega, ECD, TitoMelega.com. "It has the potential to help every patient who already feels isolated not only from their world and loved ones, but also from the only people they will interact with during this painful, and sometimes terrifying, journey."
The team hopes this new contribution to the PPE arsenal against COVID-19 will help doctors and healthcare professionals make a much-needed human connection with their patients.
Amine Arezki, Ph.D., a Product Strategy and Autonomous Systems expert in Europe, Justin Nussbaum, Ph.D., founder and CEO of an innovative 3D printing startup in Tennessee, and Tito Melega, an Executive Creative Director in California, created and released 'A Mask For All' in under a week when first signs of PPE shortages appeared in the media.
They rely on the participation and power of the open-source community to improve on their design on a daily basis, and on the support from companies like Mills James, a full-service creative media company, and WeProvidePPE.org, an organization taking donations to be used in the manufacturing and distribution of needed PPE front line responders in the COVID crisis.
"Our unique mask design has a completely flat front face where the breathing port angles downward," stated Justin Nussbaum, Ph.D. "This large flat section of the mask was originally designed to make it easily printable on any 3D printer. It also gives our mask the unique capability of being removed and replaced with a flat piece of transparent material, such as PET or polycarbonate, acrylic, plexiglass or even a transparencies or page protector meant for binders."
It must be noted that while 'A Mask For All' is not meant to replace N95 respirators or surgical masks, it is scalable to fit different face sizes and it is 100% FREE TO DOWNLOAD at AMaskForAll.com.
MEDIA AND GENERAL INQUIRIES: Contact Tito Melega at [email protected] or 310-570-9619
- ABOUT AMINE AREZKI, Ph.D. Founder & CEO: Amine is a Product Strategy and Autonomous Systems Specialist mixing art and technology and a designer by passion. Ixerabot.com
- ABOUT JUSTIN NUSSBAUM, Ph.D. Founder & CEO: Justin is an inventor of a novel high-performance additive manufacturing technology and Innovation Crossroads fellow. ascendmanufacturing3d.com
- ABOUT TITO MELEGA, ECD/CCO: Tito is the former Chief Creative Officer for all Ford advertising. He has overseen some of the most innovative and awarded advertising and brand experiences today including the hit TV show GT Academy for Nissan/SONY, Heisman House for Nissan/ESPN, The First Car Ever Sold on Amazon for Nissan/Amazon, and Mustang Personalizer and The Ford Hall of Fans for Ford/Pro Football Hall of Fame. Titomelega.com
SOURCE A Mask For All
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