Israeli researchers have come up with a brilliant new prototype for a self-cleaning face mask which can kill pathogens—such as COVID-19—simply by drawing power from a smartphone charger.
Scientists from the Technion Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering in Haifa—one of Israel’s leading scientific research institutions—say the mask can use an electrical current from any standard 2-amp mobile phone charger to heat up a carbon fiber layer inside the mask and kill off any dangerous viruses that may have accumulated on its surface.
Since announcing the success of their innovative device this week, a Technion spokesperson told reporters that the researchers have already filed a patent application for the mask with the aim of making it commercially available in the United States for just $1.
That being said, the team has not yet commented on whether the mask will be made available in Europe.
However, conservationists hope the mask will help to alleviate the large amounts of medical waste currently being generated by disposable face masks and other single-use personal protective equipment (PPE).
Not only that, the reusable masks are expected to relieve mask shortages in US regions that have been hit hardest by the novel coronavirus.
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