Smart Breathing Mask
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | AIRINUM AB |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 300 000 |
| Project duration | March 2017 - March 2018 |
| Status | Completed |
| Venture | Innovative Startups |
Purpose and goal
Airinum develops breathing masks to combat the global air pollution problem, and was awarded Vinnova´s contribution to investigating the potential of developing more advanced "smart" breathing masks. The project was aimed at investigating market potential and technical feasibility. Specifically, the objectives of the project were to: 1) Get insight into market potential for smart masks 2) Understand customer needs and willingness to pay for smart masks 3) Understand the technical aspects of a smart mask that can measure air quality data as well as data from exhalation.
Expected results and effects
The outcome of the project has generated new market knowledge that will help improved development of a smart mask. A main conclusion is that the focus on making the mask smart should be around improving the actual function of the mask over focusing on data- and information sharing. Thus, the clear outcome of the project is to change the focus of making the mask "smart" from retrieving data & information to improve the function by utilizing innovative material & smart textiles, reaching the company goal of getting more people to wear masks, and thus directly save life.
Planned approach and implementation
The process and implementation were divided into 3 parts: 1) Desktop research - we retrieved data on market development and conducted a competitor analysis. With this information, trends of smart masks in the market were analyzed. 2) Customer interviews - we utilized our existing customer base for in-depth interviews where we asked questions about our current product and the customers desired improvements. 3) Workshop with technical experts - discussion forum regarding sensor technology. The experts´ statement was documented to understand the technical challenges.