A new FFP3 mask integrates a smart section that is controlled via smartphone app: it monitors air quality and our respiratory performance.
Everyone today we wear a mask to protect ourselves from Covid-19, many did it even before to protect themselves from smog in large Italian cities. Both categories of people are addressed by the latest invention Made in Italy, the result of two years of research by the startup Narvalo, a spin-off of the Politecnico di Milano: it is called Urban Active Mask and is, in a nutshell, a smart FFP3 mask.
The mask is paired with a smartphone app, which serves both to monitor the air breathed and to manage the peculiar feature of this device: instead of the exhalation valve, normally present on FFP3s to improve comfort, there is an active fan that can work independently or according to precise parameters that the user chooses and sets through the app. Among the advantages of this solution, there is one that will make many people happy: it does not fog up their eyeglasses or sunglasses.
How the smart mask works
This mask is composed of three parts: the actual filtering part, which is interchangeable, the fabric structure that houses and proper and the electronics that manages the smart functions and the fan. The filtering part is made in Italy by BLS and is certified FFP3, so it has a level of filtration higher than 99% (viruses and bacteria, pollution, pollen and other allergens in the air). Per tanto è a tutti gli effetti un DPI.
A questo dispositivo si aggiunge una ventola, una piccola batteria e dell’elettronica per gestire il tutto via app. Con le impostazioni di default la ventolina agisce in autonomia, ottimizzando il flusso d’aria in base ai parametri ambientali rilevati. Questo la rende utile, insieme all’app, anche per fare sport all’aperto in luoghi molto inquinati come i centri urbani.
Come funziona l’app per smartphone
L’app per smartphone della mascherina smart di Narvalo assomiglia molto ad una app di fitness: tramite essa possiamo monitorare la nostra frequenza respiratoria e, allo stesso tempo, la qualità dell’aria intorno a noi (prima del filtraggio).
L’app legge anche la nostra posizione tramite il GPS dello smartphone, permettendo quindi di associare un percorso al tracciato respiratorio e a quello della qualità dell’aria. Athletes will find this feature useful, because it gives them a lot of information about their workout but also about where it’s healthiest to work out outdoors.
Those who aren’t athletes, but are simply “urban commuters” who use the mask on their commute to work, on the other hand, will find it especially convenient because of the integrated fan.