Beyond Pathogen Filtration: Possibility of Smart Masks as Wearable Devices for Personal and Group Health and Safety Management (Preprint)

Abstract

BACKGROUND Although the use of face masks has increased as a result of the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, face masks have an important role in the health and industrial sectors as wearable devices. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to review the use of face masks as reported in current academic publications and in reports on commercially available smart masks, wearable devices, and health monitoring. METHODS We selected studies on smart marks through a keyword search on the databases such as Google Scholar, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and EBSCO from January 2020 to December 2021 search period. We reviewed studies that included smart sensor features for possible functional extensions to smart masks. RESULTS The most commonly reported mask types were found to be single-use surgical masks and reusable fabric-based face masks for breathing protection associated with the Covid-19 pandemic. Smart masks however are now equipped with smart sensing modules that perform measurements of breath pattern, pulse, temperature, and air intake rather than performing a purely protective role. CONCLUSIONS The integration of sensing, actuation, connectivity, and Internet-of-Things (IoT) into Smart masks gathers health data from the user and aids in health-related event detection in real time, as well as environmental characteristics. The literature suggests that connected smart masks will decrease medical costs associated with early detection of user and environmental health factors, whereby comparison of personal data to large-scale public data will also allow (among others) the setup of personalized health treatment plans. The ideal research prototypes for smart respiratory protective equipment are identified in addition to future research directions.