N95 Mask Sanitization Machine

N95 masks are preferred protection apparatus by healthcare workers globally. While an N95 is a single-use item, it is often unsafely re-used due to its cost. 

Our solution is development of a device called Maskoff, that uses UV-C to sterilize used N95 masks, making each mask resuable up to 50 times. This technique is validated by research at the University of Nebraska. 

If scaled globally, this solution could reduce the financial burden of protection equipment on hospitals. Sold at $500/unit, the Maskoff offers hospitals a payback period of just one month on their investment. 

Tackling the COVID-19 pandemic necessitates the use of protective gear by healthcare workers. N95 masks are one such protective gear that is widely used by healthcare providers globally. Due to the on-going pandemic, manufacturers are unable to product masks fast enough to meet demand. Over 80,000 N95 masks are reused without sterilization daily. 

This leads to some masks being black-marketed at higher prices and being re-used by healthcare workers without proper sanitization. There exist no widely available, easy-to-use rapid sanitization/sterilization devices specific to N95 masks, though researchers globally are close to bringing  variety of solutions to market. 

Our solution addresses this problem, by using a tested methodology to mass-produce easy-to-use, affordable sterilizers, that will be made available at hospitals and clinics globally. 

Our solution is a product called Maskoff, which is a compact, rapid sterilizer  of N95 masks. This is a 1x1ft box that holds three masks and has 80W 254 nm UV-C lamps on all sides. This will sterilize 3 masks within 30 minutes, making each mask reusable up to 50 times without degrading any mask components. 

As part of our frugal innovation philosophy, we plan to sell each unit of Maskoff for $500 or less. We're also planning to incorporate IOT capabilities into Maskoff to collate global statistics on mask re-use and viral loads. 

At the end of each working day, doctors/other healthcare workers can deposit their used N95 masks at a central repository, where a nurse or assistant will start placing the masks three-at-a-time into Maskoff sterilizers. This operator will also number all masks, to track which masks are close to completion of their 50 sterilization cycles, and need to be disposed.

The only behavior change is for doctors to not carry the masks outside the hospitals for re-use without sterilization.

Alternatives to our solution include:

i)Manual soaking and drying: Takes 20 hours to sanitize each mask.

ii)Hydrogen peroxide vapour: Damages mask straps within 20 cycles.

iii)Heat and moisture: Method produces inconsistent results, and is thus unreliable.

iv) Microwave generated steam: This method involved a potential fire hazard since masks have metal nose-clips.

The fact that the above alternatives are developed/considered by experts to find ways to make N95 masks safely resuable is validation of our idea's relevance to the Challenge, specifically in context to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Existing alternatives to solve the problem we're tackling include:

i)Manual soaking and drying: Takes 20 hours to sanitize each mask.

ii) Manual exposure to Hydrogen peroxide vapour: Damages mask straps within 20 cycles.

iii) Manual or mechanized heat and moisture exposure: Method produces inconsistent results, and is thus unreliable.

iv) Microwave generated steam: This method involved a potential fire hazard since masks have metal nose-clips. 

None of the above solutions are available as mass-market, compact, easy-to-use solutions. Our proposed solution, Maskoff, involves use of UV-C radiation to sterilize masks, and is superior to available alternatives of proven in efficacy in lab tests. This process also takes only 30 minutes per 3 masks, is safe and doesn’t degrade the mask components, making each mask reusable up to 50 times. The component cost involved to make this system is also minimal, thus making our solution globally-scalable, while keeping it affordable to end-users.

The core technology that powers our innovation is UV-C lighting, 3D printing and base-level IOT sensors. 

University of Nebraska has proven that this technology works: 

https://consteril.com/covid-19-pandemic-disinfection-and-sterilization-of-face-masks-for-viruses/

NIH research also validates this:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4699414/

Competing products are being built on similar technology:

https://www.medgadget.com/2020/03/new-device-to-disinfect-500-n95-masks-per-hour.html

Primary research from 22 hospitals in three countries, and the data extrapolated from there has concluded the below:

1. Healthcare workers primarily prefer using N95 masks as part of their protective gear while treating COVID-19 patients. 

2. Over 70% (210) users are aware that the recommended usage frequency of N95 masks is only once. 

3. Over 60% of the above users themselves reuse their own N95 masks without any sterilization. Of these, over 30% reuse more than five times, despite 90% knowing various manual processes to safely disinfect N95s. 

4. 70% respondents from total interviewed population have expressed interest in recommending their institution to invest in an automatic device to sterilize N95 masks, if such a device were available. 

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