Ford is using its engineering skill to solve a thorny coronavirus problem: designing a medical-grade facial mask that reveals users’ facial expressions and also allows people with hearing impairment to read the lips. The automaker, which started producing personal protective equipment at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, developed a face mask with transparent panels that also filters most airborne particles.
“In those early days, everyone was learning what it was like to live in a masked environment. We quickly identified that while it is difficult for everyone to wear a mask all day, for people with hearing impairments, it is an even greater challenge,” Jim Baumbick, the leader of the Ford’s PPE manufacturing effort, MoneyWatch told CBS. “It inspired us to think about how we could help serve these people because it effectively [with a mask] you are taking from them another sense on which they depend for communication and connection. “
Baumbick also sees the potential of Ford’s transparent respirators to improve interactions between doctors and patients, as well as teachers and students.
Courtesy of Ford
The mask is still under development and its filtering capacity has not yet been approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). NIOSH approved N95 respirators form an airtight seal over the user’s face and filter at least 95% of airborne particles. Any mask that claims to be an N95, but does not have the NIOSH seal of approval is considered not authentic or counterfeit, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
While N95 respirators provide strong protection against coronavirus, they remain in short supply and are recommended for use by healthcare professionals only. The manufacturer of industrial and healthcare products 3M recently recognized that it is still struggling to meet the demand of frontline workers, despite the quadrupling of production in the United States. It is currently manufacturing 95 million respirators per month.
Ford expects the masks to be available in the spring, pending NIOSH certification. The company’s current focus is on testing respirators, initially with first responders, medical professionals and teachers. It is not yet clear how Ford will distribute the masks and whether they will be more widely available.
“We are pursuing N95 certification and working with NIOSH to ensure that we go through the entire testing regime before placing them on the market,” said Baumbick.
The transparent plastic panels are coated with an anti-fog treatment and can be replaced, according to Ford. The panels are designed to provide a complete view of the users’ faces, while the side panels of the masks consist of highly efficient filtering material, said Baumbick.
—CBS News’ Michael Roppolo contributed reporting