For a couple of years, I’ve been advising a small company on an origami mask design, and they’re finally ready to start selling. Here it is:
https://www.airgami.life <https://www.airgami.life/> The mask has N95 performance (see what that means here: https://www.airgami.life/products/white) and filters in both directions, (so it protects you from everyone else, and protects everyone else from you, unlike valved masks). I’ve been wearing prototypes as my go-to mask pretty much since the pandemic began, and while I can’t evaluate the viral filtration quantitatively (other than to note that, knock wood, I’ve escaped infection thus far), it made a big difference during our recent brush fires in keeping out the smoke; and I can comment favorably on the close fit, ease of breathability (even on strenuous hikes), and non-fogging of glasses (due to the good fit). Experienced origami folks will see hints of the You/Kurbayashi stent, Shumakov’s Magic Ball, and Semi-generalized Miura-ori from TTT in the design, but the inventor, Richard, came up with the design all on his own (and did a ton of design iteration along the way). (So it’s fully his design; I’ve just given bits of advice here and there from the sidelines.) You will note that, given the price, it’s definitely not in the “disposable mask” category. I’ve been wearing the same hiking mask for months, though; with minimal care, they’re quite sturdy. (There’s hope that, as the manufacturing technology ramps up, the price will come down. Folding those suckers by hand is HARD—especially using the complex multi-layer laminate (which is not paper) that gives it the high filtration performance.) Anyhow, thought you folks would enjoy seeing it. Having watched it gestate for the last few years, it’s nice to see the hatchling take wing. Robert
