Face Masks are not going anywhere, so this mask is built with an opening for drinking liquids safely during travel

Wearing face masks in airports and airplanes can get uncomfortable, especially if your trip is a long one. It can become difficult to breathe, there’s no eating or drinking, and it gets pretty sweaty under there. After traveling forty hours from the United States back to China, designer Ruitao Li developed the Umai Facemask, a silicone face covering with a breathing valve, air filter, and small mouthpiece slot that can be used to eat and drink while wearing the mask.

While we haven’t entered a post-COVID era yet, we are seeing a small light at the end of the tunnel. Rounding the corner, many restaurants and bars are opening back up to the public around the world. However, with new variants causing hot spots and surges all over the world, masks are still as necessary as ever. The Umai Facemask comes as a set, including the silicone face mask as well as a water bottle with a soft, bendable straw that fits into the mask’s mouthpiece slot.

Users can fill their bottles with their preferred beverages and say goodbye to airplane dry mouths. The removable straw can even be swapped from Umai’s water bottle and used to drink from another one. Umai Facemask’s breathing valve and air filter also make wearing a face mask feel a little more comfortable. Powered up with a type-c charge, the air filter ensures that the air you’re breathing in is clean and fresh, while the breathing valve circulates the air inside the mask to avoid the damp humidity that comes with conventional face masks.

Not eating and drinking while wearing a facemask has to be the hardest thing about traveling nowadays‒who doesn’t love airplane food? Designed to make the experience of modern travel feel a little more relaxed, the Umai Facemask doesn’t compromise the face mask’s primary purpose of keeping viruses and bacteria at bay, it enhances it. With adjustable aluminum nose pieces, hypoallergenic silicone covering, and several air filters, the Umai Facemask ensures comfort and safety.

Designer: Ruitao Li

Complete with a mouthpiece for eating and drinking, the Umai Facemask was designed to make modern travel more comfortable.

Constructed from hypoallergenic silicone, the Umai Facemask doesn’t cause acne or oily skin.

Traveling during the COVID-19 era requires a lot of caution, which can get uncomfortable.

Ruitao Li aimed to make a comfortable and safe face mask for the modern age.

Umai comes as a set, including the face mask, water bottle and bendable straw, and a type-c charger for the air filters.

Ruitao Li found that the most comfortable material for their face mask was silicone.

Medical professionals can also enjoy the benefits of eating and drinking while wearing a face mask.

The soft, bendable straw can be used for any water bottle as it is detachable.

Stocked with plenty of air filters and breathing valves, the Umai Facemask provides plenty of clean air to breathe.

This reusable face-mask comes with a built-in sensor that tells you when to change the filters

The design community was quick to rise to the challenge of helping the world overcome the Coronavirus, but this came at a cost. Human consumption of plastic tripled in 2020 with the use of surgical face-masks, so designer Ollie Butt decided to combat both the virus and the trail of plastic trash the pandemic left behind. Ollie’s Face Mask (although conceptual) paves the way forward for an aesthetic, efficient, reusable gas mask that can actively filter air coming from the outside, while continuously measuring the quality of the air inside the mask. Equipped with a circuit board on the inside and a bunch of sensors (including one for sensing humidity), and an outward-facing LED strip, the Reusable Face Mask looks and feels cutting-edge.

The LED strip plays a dual role, adding a futuristic flair to the device while also allowing the mask to tell you when to change your filters. The humidity sensor on the inside can detect when the filters need replacing, and a simple plug-in-plug-out design detail lets you swap out old filters for new ones. The reusable mask comes with a silicone seal around the mouth, allowing it to fit comfortably while creating a tight seal, and around-the-head straps ensure you can wear the mask for long hours without worrying about ear-fatigue.

Designer: Ollie Butt