Masks have proven to be an effective way to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, but they can be a major pain to wear.
Foggy glasses, irritation where elastic straps fit around the ears and stifled breathing are a few of the complaints people make when wearing cloth masks.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services feels the “mask pain” – a term I just made up – just like the rest of us, so it has “put out the call for new mask designs that battle both discomfort and coronavirus-carrying droplets, with $500,000 in prizes,” according to the Fierce Biotech website.
NIOSH is helping with the endeavor, which will see inventors competing in a “‘Shark Tank’-style pitch competition.”
Because, why not?