Razer: Project Hazel- the World’s Smartest Face Mask

By Pia Stavrianos. Pia is a business marketing student with an interest in all things creative such as writing and graphic design. She has found a new interest in sustainability and artificial intelligence while working with the Irish Tech News team

When you think of Razer as a brand, like most, you probably think of a high-tech, gamer electronics company. You wouldn’t be wrong, but it might surprise you to find out they are so much more than just that. With the expansion of their brand-new smart face mask.

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, not only did they help produce medical masks across the globe with the #RazerForLife initiative, but they also began advancing their own technology to create a high-tech, customizable face mask. This face mask has several astonishing features with cutting-edge technology built-in.

The benefits of which can be broken down into 5 main areas: safe, social, comfortable, sustainable, and personable. Each of these benefits will be explored further.

The main purpose of this mask is the breathing system- this system has a high bacterial filtration efficiency (BFE). This high BFE will not only protect against droplets within the environment, similar to ordinary surgical masks but also larger amounts of liquid. It is also evident that the mask is equipped with a ventilator that filters 95% of airborne particles.

The impressive ventilation brings cool air in and releases warm air produced from exhaling which in turn prevents a build-up of CO2 in the mask for longer wear. This is a huge benefit as getting fresher air will help with fatigue and dizziness. The mask’s filtration efficiency is maintained by long-lasting battery-operated ventilators which can be swapped out when necessary.

One of the things that makes this spectacular is its auto-sterilization function where a special UV light will kill any bacteria on the mask as it charges within its case.

The transparent mask’s interior automatically lights up when dark showcasing that you are speaking. Not only that, but it also comes with a built-in mic and amplifier combo that is part of their patent-pending technology that ensures clear speech.

There is also a silicon guard that fits snugly around the nose area which keeps the mask elevated from your mouth to allow for unmuffled speech. This also ensures a proper shield from the environment around you.

The mask is designed with materials that allow it to be waterproof and scratch-resistant. I think one of the most impressive parts of this mask is that it is made from recyclable plastic making it very sustainable and gets rid of the need to dispose of surgical masks and offers more protection than a cotton face covering.

With all of this high-tech sitting on your face, you might think that it would be uncomfortable, well the people at Razer have designed it to have thicker ear loops to ensure that there is less pressure on your face while maintaining the option to have the mask custom-made to suit your face shape.

This mask is then topped off with the ability to personalise it. The wearer can customize the 2 light zones. They can choose any colour they wish to appear as the light that glows from the mask. Razer has stated that there are approximately 16.8 million colours and a suite of iconic effects.

According to businessinsider.com, Project Hazel was due to lunch in January 2021- retailing at $149.99. However, it is yet to be released and there is some speculation that it may unfortunately never reach the market.

All in all, this mask is an incredible design and piece of tech. Is it 100% necessary? – debatable, but it has its perks? The loud design may not be for everyone, but certainly, something for all tech lovers to have a deeper look at. Plus, the more people wearing masks the better.