The need for a safe, inexpensive and possibly reusable, face mask for medical professionals and health workers has never been this important with the COVID-19 outbreak and the rising number of positive cases daily.
Even as several public and private institutions are racing against time to come up with different face shields, BITS-Pilani Hyderabad has unveiled a simple and cheap face mask.
MEMS, Microfluidics and Nanoelectronics (MMNE) lab of the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering of the institute has developed a 3D printed face mask for medical professionals.
The face shield has been realised using a simple design and fabricated by utilising a polylactic acid based biocompatible and biodegradable filament, and a 0.1 mm thick A4 size lamination sheet.
Professor Sanket Goel and his research associate Avinash Kothuru have come up with this device that costs just ₹40. It takes just three hours to make the mask, and the time can be further reduced by increasing the layer-height and the required resolution.
They said that the face mask can be reused as it is made of high melting point and it has been found to be water and air insulated.
