The world is looking for any reason to turn any product into a smart product. So why not the mask on your face that you are wearing every day to protect yourself from things like Covid-19? An idea that isn’t really half bad depending on how you look at it.
A company called “AirPop” has developed a smart mask that can help you get a better idea about your breathing analytics during sports and other activities while also keeping an eye on what it is protecting you from each day. The mask is called AirPop Active+.
It contains a sensor inside that tracks various analytics and shares the data with a smartphone app just like a fitness tracker would. With this information, you can track breathing behavior (breaths per minute, per pace, and more) that could potentially help you with your work out or sports activities. It can tell you when you should swap out the filter inside and provide you with information about how much bad stuff it has protected you from.
Their claim is that it can block >99% PM0.3, including dust, allergens, particulate matter, and microbial particles. It isn’t a fix-all for things like Covid as the seal it creates is going to be like any other mask of its style. However, the data could help you better understand the environment around you.
There could be a lot of use in the sports industry or certain therapeutic industries for something like this. Which may bring more popularity to this than we predict. However, something like this does come at a cost. It does take that $5-$10 mask and turns it into a $150 product. So this is where it depends on how you look at things.
It will be launching this month and includes a single mask and four filters. You can find their products on Amazon here, where they also sell your normal re-usable (non-smart) masks as well. At the moment, there isn’t an option for it since it hasn’t launched yet, but you’ll likely see it added to the list of products there within the next few weeks or so.
