A student at Changhua County’s Dayeh University has created a mask that allows the wearer to use an asthma inhaler without removing the mask.
Although masks have become a necessity amid the COVID-19 pandemic, people with asthma must remove them while taking medication, exposing them to risk, Department of Industrial Design student Chiu Chen-ting (邱振莛) said on Monday.
Chiu designed a mask that incorporates a contoured inhaler, which releases medication when the wearer lightly touches the front of the mask.
Photo courtesy of Dayeh University
The design won an award for the home products category of last year’s Green Lifestyle Design Awards, which included a cash prize of NT$5,000.
Knowing that the pandemic remained a serious concern, the fourth-year student said he hoped to reduce the risk of infection for people with asthma, who sometimes have attacks while in public places.
He came up with the design with classmates Wang Liang-hsun (王亮勛) and Hsiao Hao-cheng (蕭浩澄), he said.
The mask uses a removable inhaler capsule that can house asthma medicine or allergy medicine, depending on the needs of the wearer, he said.
The amount of medicine dispensed could be adjusted using a mobile phone app, he added.
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