Transparent Surgical Masks

While face masks may be a part of our future for some time to come, there is no denying that they can hinder communication and human interaction. But it turns out that a group of Swiss scientists realized this long before COVID-19 and have been working on perfecting the design of a completely transparent mask for two years now.

Obviously, you can’t just take a transparent plastic and fabricate a mask. It needs to be breathable, comfortable to wear and eco-friendly. So they developed a biomass material that meets all of the criteria while being totally transparent, resistant and porous.

Called Hello Mask, the transparent face covering is made of a polymer with fibers only 100 nanometers apart to filter out viruses and bacteria while letting air through. The material is also 99 percent biodegradable. The company plans to market the product to the general public in 2021.