A platform for smart face masks
Face masks are passive devices, but they provide access to insightful biosignals. Can we use active sensing to provide useful health metrics and improve mask performance?
FaceBit
An end-to-end exploration platform that can be attached to any face mask. This platform includes a low-power, versatile PCB and mobile application to collect sensor data inside the mask during routine wear.
In the first year of the pandemic, the Hester Lab at Northwestern University received emergency grant funding from the NSF to develop a smarter face mask. Alexander and Blaine were tasked with leading the project as part of their doctoral research.
Circuit Design
The system was built for flexibility, both in terms of sensing opportunities and in how it could be powered. It included a plethora of sensors: air quality, temperature, accelerometer/gyroscope, barometer, microphone, magnetometer, and even an accessory port to plug other sensors into. The device could be powered from a primary cell (non-rechargeable) battery or harvested energy that can be stored in capacitors. In this way, the battery life could be supplemented by ambient energy sources such as sunlight or motion.
Mobile Application
To interact with the wireless system during development, research, and as a prototype for productization, we developed a companion iOS mobile application. This application allowed raw data collection from the devices for our algorithmic development and real-time data collection of heart and respiratory rate computed metrics. The app also demonstrated how a user could track mask wear time by selecting when a mask was donned for the first time and tracking mask wear using the sensor.
