
Surgical mask brace creates a seal making standard masks comparable to N95s - vivekvinodh
https://www.fixthemask.com/
======
xbkingx
There's no way 3 rubber bands turns a surgical mask into an N95 mask. There
are studies that look at the abilities of different materials, removing the
seal component entirely, and the two masks have very different profiles. (I
don't have them saved, but I've come across several over the last few weeks
when looking into alternative to N95 masks. Here's an article I found with 5
minutes of searching that has some refs to relevant studies:
[https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-
perspective/2020/04/commenta...](https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-
perspective/2020/04/commentary-masks-all-covid-19-not-based-sound-data.))

Better seal than a surgical mask without them? Even that I would contest
because you are loading the area directly in front of the mouth with more
moisture and higher air pressure than designed. Exhaling will puff a regular
mask out slightly, which diffuses the exhaled breath across the surface. This
straps a 3"x1" segment of fabric to the lips and nostrils and you lose that
diffusion. I'd also imagine this would make reuse even more risky, since the
rubber bands would wear the hydrophobic coating off and snare small strands of
fabric. And then there's the sterilization/sanitization of the rubber bands.
And the aging/failure rate of these bands. And then... you get my point.

Maybe they meant well, but this is the type of bad information that is
actually dangerous. "Tell Martha in procurement that we don't need the fancy
masks and put in an order for 10,000 rubber bands. Why? This MIT Apple
Engineer said so."

~~~
angry_octet
Going by the downvotes there are a lot of very anxious people out there who
desperately want to believe that they can MacGyver their way to personal
safety.

Compared to chloroquine this seems like a mildly risky thing, but until they
conduct a double-blind physical test, get it reviewed by experts, etc, it
shouldn't be out in the public. A good engineer would know that.

------
hn_throwaway_99
This whole site just feels, well, weird and honestly vaguely offensive to me.
I.e. tons of marketing, "ex-Apple engineers" shouted all over the place,
start-up-esque "our team" headshots (notably lackinging any real medical
expertise, the closest is someone's husband is an ER doc), for a "solution"
that is 3 rubber bands.

I have in no way enough expertise to comment on whether those three rubber
bands would be effective, but I can say with certainty they would be horribly
uncomfortable. I can't imagine anyone wearing that without constantly wanting
to readjust, and hence touch their face. I could easily see this being a net
_negative_ given all the face-touching it would encourage.

~~~
abacadaba
I dunno makes sense enough to me. Air through filter good, air not through
filter bad.

How many lives you saved with 3 rubber bands lately?

~~~
DanBC
Surgical masks do not filter the virus. Here's one paper:
[https://annals.org/aim/fullarticle/2764367/effectiveness-
sur...](https://annals.org/aim/fullarticle/2764367/effectiveness-surgical-
cotton-masks-blocking-sars-cov-2-controlled-comparison)

~~~
abacadaba
From the paper:

"The mask's aerodynamic features may explain this finding. A turbulent jet due
to air leakage around the mask edge could contaminate the outer surface."

Agreed that calling it an n95 equivalent without any evidence might be a
stretch though. And yes other papers looked at it with a seal. Still would be
interesting to see a surgical vs. sealed surgical comparison.

------
ntenenz
This is horrendously incorrect. Surgical masks do not filter aerosolized
particles at the same effiency as an N95. For an airborn virus, that's a
pretty big deal, especially for HCP who are constantly exposed to high viral
loads.

~~~
asdfasgasdgasdg
When worn normally, or when well sealed? Are there tests of this? If they are
both melt blown fabric then it seems at least plausible that this thing could
work. It should be tested of course, but it seems like they are in the process
of doing that.

~~~
ntenenz
[http://aaqr.org/files/article/668/36_AAQR-13-06-OA-0201_991-...](http://aaqr.org/files/article/668/36_AAQR-13-06-OA-0201_991-1002.pdf)

~~~
asdfasgasdgasdg
Thanks. For those not following the link, this study shows that NaCl aerosols
penetrate measured surgical masks at a much higher rate than n95 masks, even
after creating a firm seal.

------
jfim
Since this seems more like a marketing site with no illustrations, their
medium post [0] has a picture that explains their idea much better:
[https://miro.medium.com/max/3500/1*JAurgJijhTt58ILb4DuKdA.pn...](https://miro.medium.com/max/3500/1*JAurgJijhTt58ILb4DuKdA.png)

Basically, their claim is that certain surgical masks have sufficient
filtration, but don't seal well. They propose a specially shaped elastic band
that improves the seal.

[0] [https://medium.com/@fixthemask/how-to-design-a-solution-
for-...](https://medium.com/@fixthemask/how-to-design-a-solution-for-
the-n95-mask-shortage-bd9b163e2056)

~~~
seltzered_
Thanks for sharing.

While there's a fair amount of criticism on here about this not being N95
spec, I do wonder if this helps at all in scenarios where doctors are working
with Aerosol Generating Procedures without any proper masks (with the
combination of facemasks, shield wall setups, etc.)

There are already recommendations that surgical masks are good enough for
homepatient care scenarios / room cleanup, see
[https://www.cebm.net/covid-19/what-is-the-efficacy-of-
standa...](https://www.cebm.net/covid-19/what-is-the-efficacy-of-standard-
face-masks-compared-to-respirator-masks-in-preventing-covid-type-respiratory-
illnesses-in-primary-care-staff/)

------
zamalek
> Designed by ex-Apple mechanical engineers.

Are we really now in the world where having worked for Apple makes you
instantly trustworthy for anything?

~~~
justnotworthit
What kind of mechanical engineering does Apple do?

~~~
rumanator
My guess it would include helping out product design looking up wear on moving
parts (keyboard, kids), how products fare on drop tests, thermal design of
hardware layout, etc.

But perhaps Ikea does higher level mechanical engineering than Apple, and I
wouldn't want a breathing mask made by them.

------
tehjoker
N95 masks use a special fiber mesh made from "melt down" material to obstruct
the passage of viral particles. Surgical masks are for droplet protection
only. It is disingenuous in the extreme to make claims that a surgical mask
can be "upgraded" to an N95. You can improve the airflow yes, but you should
make the claim that it might be better than a standard surgical mask, not
anything like an N95.

~~~
wikibob
I believe you mean Melt Blown:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melt_blowing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melt_blowing)

~~~
tehjoker
Thank you. I've been pretty stressed lately and it's making me sloppy.

------
stronglikedan
I would imagine only the seal would be comparable (or even better really), but
would the filtering capability be comparable?

------
gregwebs
There are some questions here about filtering effectiveness of surgical masks.
Here is one study showing 96% filtration of aerosolized bacteria although
unfortunately it does not compare against an n95.

Figure: [https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Filtration-Efficiency-
an...](https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Filtration-Efficiency-and-Pressure-
Drop-Across-Materials-Tested-with-Aerosols-of-Bacillus_tbl1_258525804)

Full study: [https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-
core/c...](https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-
core/content/view/0921A05A69A9419C862FA2F35F819D55/S1935789313000438a.pdf/testing_the_efficacy_of_homemade_masks_would_they_protect_in_an)

------
angry_octet
If you have a large supply of ASTM Level 1-3 masks, and are young and healthy,
this is what you should do: _donate them to a local critical care medical
facility_. Not only do they need them more than you, you need them to stay
healthy so they can treat the public (including you).

The ASTM Lvl 1-3 surgical masks use non-woven fiber (e.g. spun polypropylene)
the same as N95s. So every new mask is one less N95. This is actually a zero
sum game. If you are ordering these masks you are reducing the amount of
material available for N95s.

Finally, the caveat that the proposed technique is untested is huge. Lots of
things that you might think work don't, or have negative effects. These people
should partner with a local virology group to do some testing before they
scale up, and before they push this idea out into the void.

------
medymed
This is great! Best wishes for continued development, will follow.

From a user perspective, would be nice to have a version that applies pressure
around the head like N-95 or FFP-2 straps rather than additional pressure
around the ears which even with a regular surgical mask can be uncomfortable
after a few hours. Probably within the design plans already. Also interested
in how nose height variability affects the seal near the nasal sidewall, which
is sometimes variable with masks. I would imagine people with topographically
smoother faces might have an easier seal for this kind of design as well as
most other designs without custom (e.g. tall nose) contours.

------
maxroham1977
I don't think surgical masks should be purchased by non-medical staff. Doctors
and nurses need this equipment and our supplies are really low. Please leave
surgical masks for hospital staff and make yourselves cloth alternatives.

~~~
def8cefe
They're recommended for anybody who needs to be in close contact with others.

There are lots of people who aren't medical staff who are in close proximity
with vulnerable people by necessity. Vulnerable people should be wearing them
also.

For example, every employee at a retirement home wears a mask at the moment.

------
arkitaip
I can't be the only one who hasn't been able to buy a surgical mask since
covid-19 began spreading.

~~~
WildGreenLeave
And that is a good thing. Surgical masks should be reserved for medical staff
that needs it more than the regular John Doe.

I am all for the general public wearing facemasks to slow down the spread
(slow down, not prevent) but there are plenty of clothed masks that help that
while still allowing the surgical masks (and N95 masks) be worn by people that
need it. (This was one of the annoyance when I was in Asia, me and about 40%
were wearing reusable masks and everyone else was wearing the surgical masks)

------
stunt
Even presuming it does improve seal on surgical masks. But problem with this
masks isn't just seal, it's the material that can't filter out small
particles.

Does it help by creating better seal? It sounds that it should but nobody can
confirm it without proper lab test.

------
caetris1
This is actually quite correct in its applicability to prevent inhalation of
airborne particulate.

------
bernawil
come on, the way her ears bend and turn purple after she puts on those super
tight rubber bands looks like they're gonna rip apart. I imagine as soon as
the take was over she took it off fast, laughing about how anybody could try
that thing.

------
bernawil

      - this rubber bands make standard masks comparable to N95s!
      - and how do they compare, then?
      - mmmh, bad. Comparably bad.

------
nope96
This looks like it might hurt or injure my nose.

------
masonic
"It seals _so_ well, nobody dies of Covid-19. They all _suffocate_ first!"

------
xtiansimon
I agree with xbkingx, "There's no way 3 rubber bands turns a surgical mask
into an N95 mask."

These are two different 'commercial products'. I think everyone here is a
reasonably good consumer and understands the 'context' of DIY. If I have a
problem with this video, it's the super-seriousness which undermines it's
_DIY_, _best I can do with what I got_, context.

To the larger question some of us are asking ourselves: "Amid Ongoing COVID-19
Pandemic, Governor Cuomo Issues Executive Order Requiring All People in New
York to Wear Masks or Face Coverings in Public"[1]. Is a surgical mask and
rubber bands going to be a better solution than a hanky?

From my ongoing research I want to share one interesting site I found:
SmartAirFilters, founded by an associate professor at University of Chicago:
"...Smart Air, a social enterprise that makes low-cost DIY air purifiers to
help people protect themselves from air pollution." [2]

Can Masks Capture Coronavirus Particles? [3]

Can DIY Masks Protect Us from Coronavirus? [4]

Here's a quote from one of the articles written by a university student which
makes my point (to be true the author is talking about particulate pollution
and not coronavirus, but in the current context of needing to wear a mask it
conveys the tradeoff):

"Should You Wear A Surgical Mask? Now let me be clear. I’m not recommending
that everyone use surgical masks. I wear N95 and N99 masks because tests show
they fit better and capture more particles. But if professional masks are
unaffordable or it’s a bad air day and you forgot your normal mask at home, or
even if you’re caught out with a wildfire, ducking into a pharmacy and
spending 1RMB on a mask will significantly reduce your exposure to particulate
pollution." [5]

Now, let's talk about those rubber bands around your ear... "Canadian Scout
Makes 3D Printed Ear Guards That Relieve the Pain of Wearing Surgical Masks
All Day"[6].

Woot! Scouts!

[1]: [https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/amid-ongoing-
covid-19-pande...](https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/amid-ongoing-
covid-19-pandemic-governor-cuomo-issues-executive-order-requiring-all-people-
new)

[2]: [https://ceas.uchicago.edu/directory/thomas-
talhelm](https://ceas.uchicago.edu/directory/thomas-talhelm)

[3]: [https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/coronavirus-pollution-
ma...](https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/coronavirus-pollution-
masks-n95-surgical-mask/)

[4]: [https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/diy-homemade-mask-
protec...](https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/diy-homemade-mask-protect-
virus-coronavirus/?rel=1)

[5]: [https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/surgical-masks-
surprisin...](https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/surgical-masks-surprisingly-
effective-pm2-5/)

[6]: [https://laughingsquid.com/scout-makes-3d-printed-mask-ear-
gu...](https://laughingsquid.com/scout-makes-3d-printed-mask-ear-guards/)

