--- title: "These Transparent Medical Face Masks Won’t Fog Up" description: "A team of Swiss researchers have created a transparent surgical face mask, intended for essential workers, that no longer hide people's faces." date: "2020-06-09" modified: "2020-06-09" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/these-transparent-medical-face-masks-wont-fog-up" categories: - "Health & Medicine" - "Medical" - "Prosthetics and Devices" tags: - "mask" - "masks" --- # These Transparent Medical Face Masks Won’t Fog Up ![A team of Swiss researchers have created a transparent surgical face mask, intended for essential workers, that no longer hide people's faces.]() *\Image: EPFL\* A team of Swiss researchers [have created]() a transparent surgical face mask, intended for essential workers, that no longer hide people's faces. That's a big deal especially for those, such as the hearing impaired, who communicate via facial expressions. The "HelloMasks" promise to be breathable and protective, but won't fog up like other masks fitted with clear plastic panels. https://youtu.be/eeH-qT358Uc Each one is made out of a polymer-based membrane. The fibers are just 100 nanometers apart, making the spacing small enough to filter out viruses and bacteria — but still allow air to pass through. The idea wasn't born during the current global pandemic, when wearing a mask quickly became extremely commonplace. The researchers from the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology started their work years ago during the Ebola crisis in western Africa. "It was touching to see that nurses — covered from head to toe in protective gear – pinned photos of themselves on their chests so that patients could see their faces," Klaus Schönenberger, the head of EPFL’s EssentialTech Center, said in [a statement](). The researchers have also established a company that will bring the mask to market. Methods for mass production are still being developed. The team is hoping to launch the product as soon as early 2021. ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()