SmartUrbanMask - Protecting the vulnerable & active urban dwellers from the extreme air pollution

Important results from the project

The purpose was to create a proposal for a low-cost and environmentally sustainable anti-pollution mask. The proposal is designed to meet the user requirements and the development goals. The mask is using polyester throughout the entire filter and textile structure making the product fully recyclable and possible to be made of recycled fibers. The outer and inner layer are a woven polyester. The middle filter layer is an electrostatic non-woven polyester. The mask is produced using welding seams and a foldable mask type. Included are protection and comfort increasing features.

Expected long term effects

The result of the project is a design proposal for an “Eco Air Mask” containing a product prototype, a specification of the product components with material specification and how these components would be manufactured and implemented in the current production process, 3D renders visualizing the design of the product, and a project report with all research, analysis and arguments behind the design proposal. The proposal will be assessed in comparison to other potential products and market possibilities.

Approach and implementation

The research was conducted in the fields of Anti-pollution mask market, filtering technology, textile environmental sustainability, smart materials, smart functions, user requirements and production methods. This was done through reading research papers and books, analyzing competitors, interviewing customers and experts within the different fields of interest. The research findings were analyzed and put into the context of our current product and production process and through an iterative ideation and prototyping phase a design proposal for the “Eco Air Mask” was formed.