Mask Aid Project
2020
The Mask Aid Project was a collaborative product development project launched during the COVID-19 pandemic. I was part of the founding team and served as the project's digital marketing lead. I created the website, produced videos and other project materials, and presented the concept to potential investors and partners.
The project focused on the Mask Reborn Box, an open-source, desktop-scale device designed to extend the useful life of disposable masks and respirators during periods of PPE shortage. The concept combined several processes, including washing, heated drying, UVC treatment, and electrostatic recharging. The recharging process was intended to restore the electrostatic properties of the melt-blown filtration material that contribute to the filtration performance of medical masks. The project resulted in two patents related to the detection of static electricity and to electrical recharging. It was developed by an international team of makers, researchers, designers, and manufacturing specialists. The technical documentation and development process were made publicly available as part of the project's open-source approach.
We initially pursued crowdfunding through Kickstarter, but the campaign was rejected because the product was considered a medical device. We subsequently launched a campaign through Indiegogo, but it did not attract enough subscribers to support the project at the intended scale. We refunded the campaign contributors.
Despite the limited crowdfunding response, we continued to develop and distribute the devices. Some units were donated along with new N-95 masks to a village in Uganda where they were distributed for local use. We also sold a small number of units in the United States, a larger number in China, and several units in Brazil. Ultimately, we abandoned the project because it did not achieve sufficient market traction. Expanding into the United States was particularly difficult because the regulatory requirements associated with medical devices made the project commercially impractical at the time.