If you’re going to have to wear a face mask to keep from spreading germs, it might as well be something interesting, right? Well, I can’t think of anything better than this Alien facehugger mask to prevent the your nose and mouth droplets from escaping and infecting others. As an added bonus, it’s guaranteed to increase social distancing by others around you.
Of course, it does mean that you’re willing to subject yourself to xenomorph eggs being implanted in your belly, but that’s a small price to pay for public health, right? You might even get a little tap dance out of it. This awesomely creepy mask was made by UK leather artist Pirate’s Leatherworks, who did an amazing job that’s sure to have him swimming in custom orders for quite some time.
If you’re interested in buying one for yourself, keep an eye out on the artist’s Etsy shop, where no one can hear you scream.
A few months ago Sabrina Paseman was working as a mechanical engineer for Apple. It’s safe to say that this pandemic changed the course of her life, at least professionally. Teaming up with ex-Apple marketer Megan Duong, Paseman decided to bring her creative skills over to a domain that really needed it. Together, the duo formed Fix The Mask, a project that helps make surgical masks as effective as N95 masks. The idea for a DIY hack came to Paseman around the time when the country was facing a severe shortage of N95 masks, forcing doctors and nurses to wear readily available loosely-fitted surgical masks. Paseman first tried scouting her area for N95 masks, hoping to donate them to medical facilities, and when she couldn’t find any N95 masks available in her vicinity, she decided to create a life-saving lifehack to turn surgical masks into well-fitted N95 masks. The solution? A simple DIY seal that closes all air gaps around your nose and mouth so there’s no air leakage anywhere caused by a loosely fitted mask.
Paseman and Duong’s first iteration of the Fix The Mask solution involved the MacGyverian use of a handful of rubber bands that could be strung together to create a tight brace to secure the mask’s fit (video at the end of the article). A few iterations later, the two developed a more robust solution by cutting into rubber sheets to create a better, more effective harness. The harness design is available on the Fix The Mask website as a free resource, to allow health professionals and regular citizens to get the most out of their face-gear while remaining safe from the virus.
The N95 mask is great the same way the Prius is great. It’s affordable, popular, a lot of people have it, and it does what it says it’s going to do. However, compare the Prius to a Tesla Model S and you realize where it falls short. Its popularity aside, the N95 has some pretty obvious shortcomings – whether it’s the fact that it gets dirty and needs washing or the fact that a flimsy mask can actually press up against your nose, making it marginally difficult to breathe. That being said, N95 masks work for some people, like healthcare workers, or industrial workers who often operate on a budget… but that format doesn’t really work for regular consumers. The LMP S2 is designer Mark Austen’s attempt at creating the Tesla of masks. It fundamentally does the same things the N95 does, but does a noticeably better job, and looks great too.
The LMP S2 is the product of a new normal, where masks may just be as common as wearing shades because it’s sunny out. While we’re all working as a global community to battle this virus and end the shelter-at-home orders that are in place as a result, there’s no definitive date for when to stop wearing masks… and since we’re probably going to be wearing them for at least the foreseeable future, Mark Austen believes consumers deserve better than the N95 masks we have out there today.
The LMP S2 improves on the N95 by ditching the fabric construction for silicone, which isn’t just comfortable, it’s easier to clean and is food-grade. Making the entire mask from silicone ensures a perfect, practically air-tight fit every time, while the soft elastomeric material is much easier on the skin, allowing you to wear the mask for longer without feeling any discomfort. The LMP S2’s silicone body takes the shape of faces, ensuring a universal fit, while an internal frame keeps the mask’s shape intact, so it doesn’t buckle and collapse every time you inhale. Fitted onto the front of the LMP S2 is a layered N99 and activated carbon filter that allows you to easily inhale 99% fresh air with every breath you take. The mask even features a dual-valve setup on each side that doubles the amount of air flowing into and out of the mask, effectively preventing the humidity in your breath from getting trapped inside the mask, keeping you fresh at all times. The result is a mask that looks, feels, and performs better than an N95.
The mask’s silicone construction is also incredibly easy to clean. Given that silicone is naturally heat resistant, you can simply take the filters out and place the mask in boiling water to sanitize it, killing any germs that may be lingering on the surface. The removable filters are designed to be periodically replaced too, so you just need to switch filter-linings every few months, rather than throwing out your cloth mask every time it gets dirty. The LMP S2 begins shipping in June and comes in a variety of colors, although my go-to would obviously be black… because why pass up an opportunity of looking like Darth Vader?
What we really need is for everyone to wear face-masks that prevent the transmission of germs. What we DON’T need is for those face-masks to make it harder for us to breathe, right? As you inhale, most flimsy fabric masks collapse inwards because of the negative air-pressure created inside the mask… it’s honestly something most people can deal with, but if you’re someone with pre-existing respiratory difficulties, it could make regular breathing rather difficult.
The Cannula mask avoids this problem with its reinforcing endoskeleton. A thin plastic grille, this skeleton gives the mask its defining structure, preventing it from pressing against your face the same way a hanger prevents clothes from getting crushed by retaining its shape. Designed to be worn by people with respiratory difficulties, the endoskeleton even comes with a hollow spine that allows you to plug a nasal cannula to it, letting you direct fresh oxygen right to the wearer’s nose; effectively allowing them to inhale and exhale freely without worrying about a flimsy mask smothering them every time they try to breathe.
There are a lot of innovative masks that we’re constantly seeing on the internet and it’s ironic because there is a global shortage of PPE for healthcare workers. So why are designers still creating masks? Because the lockdown may end in 8 weeks but the vaccine won’t be ready and therefore we need creative ways for the mass adoption of wearing masks as a part of everyday fashion. This way we stay safe as we enter a ‘new normal’ and leave the surgical masks for the health workers. Now you may ask how is this mask any different from the other cool masks we’ve seen?
Well, this one doubles up as a face shield so that no bacteria enters your eye and comes with an accessory-like sanitizer so you won’t have to search your bags or have an oddly-shaped pocket. Designer Fulden Dehneli calls the mask Gādo (ガード) and the sanitizer Ken (剣) because she views these as complementary products that will become necessities in a post-pandemic world. Gādo means ‘guard’ and Ken means ‘sword’ in Japanese which is such a poetic way to describe tools – they guard us and kill the germs!
Gādo and Ken were specifically designed for seamless integration into our lives. Gādo combines the benefits of a mask and a face shield with a simple sliding mechanism- a folded textile structure hidden under the shield which enlarges when the shield is slid up. This way you don’t have to constantly wear the traditionally obtrusive face shield but can ‘guard up’ if you’re among people and can’t maintain distance. Along with head straps that ensure comfort and fit, it also keeps the mouth visible to keep the window of human expression open, something we crave so deeply and will not take for granted when this ends. Ken is a sanitizer spray bottle that is ergonomically designed to be more portable and accessible than its predecessors.
Dehneli aims to answer the questions that have crossed our minds through her work – What if we have to wear a mask every day from now on? How do we stay protected as we resume our daily routines outside quarantine? Will masks make us feel less friendly when we interact socially? Can I find a sanitizer that doesn’t look like its sitting in the center console of my car for years? Gādo and Ken is your S.H.I.E.L.D (see what I did there?) team when you step back out into the world.
An ingenious hack is allowing doctors to repurpose snorkeling masks into makeshift ventilators. Approached by doctors in Italy, Isinnova teamed up with Decathlon to design a 3D printed component that could easily fit onto existing snorkeling masks. Turning them into efficient respirators that could be used to aid patients of the Covid-19 outbreak in the country.
Called the Charlotte Valve, this component has been made available on Isinnova’s website and is free for use. They’ve filed for a patent too, to ensure that the valve isn’t commercially produced and sold for a profit. The patent remains free for all, to ensure that hospitals, clinics, and medical staff can always access life-saving technology for no cost. Decathlon has been cooperating extensively with physicians in Lombardy to supply hospitals with their scuba masks, retrofitted with the Charlotte Valve mod.
If you’re a designer with a 3D printer to spare, we recommend clicking on the link below to access the 3D file. You can either directly print these components, or edit them to allow them to universally fit on different snorkeling masks across a variety of brands.
Hospitals in numerous countries are struggling to provide basic supplies to healthcare workers, and tech companies are pitching in to address the shortfall. Tim Cook has revealed that Apple is donating "millions" of masks to healthcare professionals...
Growing up, Kellogg’s and Post had convinced me that sugary cereals drowning in milk were “part of a nutritious breakfast.” But as I grew up, I came to realize that protein is a much more important start to the day. Nowadays, I have some eggs and maybe some breakfast meat to get my day going. And when I’m feeling like a little carbs to go with, some toast and butter fills the bill quite nicely.
To celebrate my love for these great American breakfast foods, I should probably start wearing this Pagan Breakfast God Mask.
This ridiculous tribute to our morning meat and carb ritual comes from the deranged minds at Archie McPhee, who insist you don’t need to wait until Halloween to dress up like this. Actually, I think this could make a great Mardi Gras costume, and that’s coming up in just about a month. The only thing it’s missing for New Orleans’ big party is a bowl of grits, but I suppose you could just carry that around in a cup and eat some while you catch beads and doubloons.
Steven Spielberg’s E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial is one of the all-time classic movies across all genres. It melded science fiction, adventure, humor, and warmth, and tugged at many a heartstring. Of course, a big part of what made the movie work was just how endearing and expressive its title character was.
Now, you can own your own E.T. – or at least his adorable alien face to display in your own home.
This perfect replica of E.T.’s face comes from Czech artist Stanislav Dykast, which is an awesome name for a prop maker. It’s a 1:1 scale resin casting based on the original sculpt done by the late, great artist Carlo Rambaldi for the movie. Dykast did an amazing job painting in all of the details, and E.T. really looks like he could jump out of that bicycle basket and start stealing all your Reese’s Pieces any minute now.
Keep in mind that what you can actually buy on his Etsy shop is just the unpainted mask, and you’ll have to paint and complete the E.T. yourself if you want it to look as good as what Dykast is showing off in his pictures.
If you have money burning a hole in your pocket, and you want to give your cat a heart attack, check out this crazy looking furry cat mask. It’s so realistic that your cat will hate you forever for scaring it to death.
After you pony up roughly $2,700, Japanese creative outlet Shindo Rinka and modeling workshop 91 will create this lifelike cat mask for you based on photos of your pet. Furries and crazy cat ladies everywhere are now cracking open their piggy banks. It’s called “My Family” masks, and it is meant to symbolize the bond that you have with your pets.
This thing is just terrifying. Why would you do this to poor little Fluffy? If I put this thing on, my cat is never talking to me again. Not that my cat actually talks to me. Not that I’m admitting anyway. It’s not weird. Nevermind. Anyway, look at how terrified that cat is in the second image. It’s never seen a giant cat before and thinks it’s about to be dinner.
Hospitals in numerous countries are struggling to provide basic supplies to healthcare workers, and tech companies are pitching in to address the shortfall. Tim Cook has revealed that Apple is donating "millions" of masks to healthcare professionals...
