MIT Solve

Solution Overview

Solution Name:

Anteneh’s mask

One-line solution summary:

A mouth guard face mask that covers only the mouth and nose of the user and use the teeth as a support structure,

Pitch your solution.

This project is about building a mouth guard face mask that covers only the mouth and nose of the user and use the teeth as a support structure

What specific problem are you solving?

The recent COVID-19 crisis has made us be familiar with face masks and made it an essential product that is needed to sustain our lives equal to food and water or clothing. This is because it is the first line of defense against respiratory diseases like COVID-19 by providing a filtration system of the air we breathe preventing us from getting infected and transmitting our infectious virus. But using this product comes with many problems which includes;

Physical discomfort with use, particularly in hot and humid environments.
Contact dermatitis with extended wear.
Inability to effectively communicate with others using facial expressions.
Speech intelligibility.
Fogging of eyeglasses during use.
Difficulty finding a device that is the proper size and many others.

These problems has made it difficult for people to use them at all time and for the future it is essential to design new kind of face mask that solves all these problems.

What is your solution?

Anteneh’s mask has a one side mouth guard that is mounted only at the bottom part of the teeth just like a brace for anchor to provide support structure. Attached to the front part of the mouth guard, there is hallow cylindrical structure that is used for air entrance and exit for mouth breathing. At the front part of the hallow cylinder there is a curved flat structure that act as a cover for the lips and the area around the lips to provide cover protection from air entering and exiting except through the hallow cylindrical structure while breathing. At the top of the curved flat structure there are two closely fixed cylindrical hallow structures that are used for breathing through the nose. These two hallow cylinders are inserted in to the nose of the user. This will enables the user breath only through the three holes. The three holes have detachable small air filters made from the standard surgical masks. These air filters have structures that made to be perfectly fit the device. These air filters have structures that made to be perfectly fit the device. All the user needs to do it switch the filters on regular basis.

Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?

The main features this face mask provide are very critical for solving the problem of the current mask. The following points indicates what the product offers to the end users when using it.

The product will be very efficient because no air will enter in to the mouth and nose except the holes that are design for filtration only.
It also solves the discomfort generated by face masks in hot and humid environment.
There will not be any contact dermatitis from extended mask wear
There will not be any problem on communication through facial expression because this mask only covers small part of your face
While wearing the mouth guard that is only attached to the lower part of the teeth just like a brace, you will not have any problem talking because your lips are free and there is no sound barrier all over your face.
There will be any fogging of eyeglasses during use because the exhaling air will not be directed in to the eye glasses.
There will not be any problem concerning the device size because it will be made in different models according to our general structures that are used to classify our body.

Note that once the end users purchase the product, the filtrations are sold sparely just like a refill technology.

This product is very easy to mass produce with no assemble need. It can be mass produced though mold system that is known to have a low cost production method.

Which dimension of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?

Equip last-mile primary healthcare providers with the necessary tools and knowledge to detect disease outbreaks quickly and respond to them effectively.

Explain how the problem you are addressing, the solution you have designed, and the population you are serving align with the Challenge.

To be addressed.

In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

What is your solution’s stage of development?

Prototype: A venture or organization building and testing its product, service, or business model.

Explain why you selected this stage of development for your solution.

To be addressed

Who is the Team Lead for your solution?

Anteneh Gashaw