‘Breathing’ life into the respirators of the future
With issues of politics, health, fashion and defiance weaved into it; the face mask is more than just a piece of fabric. The inventions around respiratory protection are not new — but how old are they? The oldest known record of respirator innovation dates back to the first century A.D when Roman miners thanked Pliny, the Elder for using animal bladder to protect them from inhaling lead oxide dust. Over the next few centuries, the primitive design of
respirators picked up recommendations from the likes of Leonardo da Vinci, Bernadino Ramazzini, experts in warfare and innovators in occupational safety. 1910 saw the advent of modern-day surgical masks with the later part of the decade ironically experiencing organized resistance to mask-wearing, during the deadly 1918 Spanish Flu. More than 100 years have passed since the approval of the first respirator by the first respirator certification program launched by the U.S Bureau of Mines (USBM).
Despite flaunting life-saving properties, just as any other useful accessory, a respirator’s utility is hugely limited by its fit. The fitting characteristic of a respirator is its ability to separate a user’s respiratory system from ambient air. The fit test ensures that the respirator is appropriate for the wearer and properly fits the face of someone who wears it. Last year social media was flooded with selfies of bruised, exhausted faces of healthcare workers and first responders who were taming the COVID-19 pandemic with perseverance, empathy and ill-fitting PPE. Despite the diversity of workforces dependent on PPE, its measurements are dominated by white men of common sizes and builds, and poorly represent females. (More on the different kinds of respiratory protection equipment available here)
“…we are paying a steep environmental cost because most N95 respirators used in the healthcare sector are single-use.” — Hunter Futo
Well, what if healthcare systems were more inclusive? Our community at Just One Giant Lab (JOGL) came together with Hunter Futo- Project Lead for Basic Respirator- to speculate this bigger (and more accomodating) picture. Futo, a hardware and software engineer, was 3D-printing PPE for local hospitals in Los Angeles early on during the pandemic when wicked problems inspired her to look into N95 respirators. “Not only not producing enough [N95 respirators for people], but also not getting these to the communities they are needed the most” really worried her, says Futo. “On top of that, we are paying a steep environmental cost because most N95 respirators used in the healthcare sector are single-use”, continues Futo. Although her past experiences lean her towards believing that technology-driven solutions are better at creating new problems instead of solving the old ones, she was keen on introducing an intervention that tackled fit-testing and respirator sizing. So Futo set out to create an integrated solution that delivers a custom-fitted reusable N95 respirator.
Firstly, to tackle the issue of fit, she developed Quipfit- an open-source mobile application that helps perform virtual fit testing before users take on legally mandated quantitative and qualitative fit testing of respirators. Having worked in hardware for years, Hunter -a hacker at heart- loves open hardware and grassroots efforts towards solutions. With Quipfit, she wants to map facial scans after anonymizing user photographs. Although she plans to help manufacture custom-fit respirators in the longer run, Hunter’s currently working towards designing an N95 respirator that meets the latest size standards created by the National Institute of Safety & Health (NIOSH). Despite being a quick-fix solution, she believes these size standards should help fit at least 95% of the US population and alleviate the urgency of the issue to a large extent. Her reusable N95 is modular, light-weight, comfortable, and sustainable besides aiding users with seamless donning and doffing.
Futo came across JOGL right before she began working with healthcare workers at the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) in the United States. “It’s been extremely encouraging to be around people who share similar passion and excitement about creating grassroots solutions for their communities.”, shared Futo when I asked her how JOGL helped her endeavours. She recognizes that Quipfit raises an ethical issue around biometric data protection and usage. Instead of seeing it as a deterrent, Futo is actively working with frontline workers to gather feedback on Quipfit’s beta version and strengthen the app’s data protection and anonymization strategies. Further, she hopes for people to ponder why healthcare workers are being ignored and why the problem hasn’t been solved already? The respirators of the future would see increased emphasis on comfortable fit along with the actual protection the respirator provides. The humble respirator and its kin are not novelty; but clearly, can benefit from renewed imagination and innovation. JOGL has been supporting resolute innovators like Hunter via its Microgrants program. Only with support from grassroots innovation and laws, can technological advances breathe life into inclusive respirators of the future.
So until we reach a point where respiratory safety is second nature and is not affected by politics or discrimination, mask up and stay safe.
