I hope it's okay: I've shared this post on my Facebook site. On Sun, Nov 29, 2020 at 12:47 AM Robert Lang <[email protected]> wrote:
> 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 > > 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 > >
