RAPID: Highly Customizable, Breathable N95 Mask Design Utilizing Kirigami-enabled Filters and Sensor Platforms to Maximize Comfort and Monitor usage Patterns

智力优势：本项目提出开发一种可快速制造的新型N95级呼吸器设计平台，将舒适性和过滤效率之间的关系解耦。大多数N95口罩即使是经过培训的医务人员也佩戴不当，原因是在优化舒适度而不是过滤效果时佩戴不当和不合适。拟议的N95口罩将能够监测和尽量减少面部接触，并跟踪清洁周期和使用模式。该项目将克服当前N95型口罩设计中的几个根本缺陷，以及它们的合身和佩戴协议。所提出的设计最大限度地提高了紧凑性、舒适性和可制造性，同时实现了对面部触摸事件的实时监控。研究团队将使用最新的针织技术，以无缝和半定制的方式可控地放置僵硬和柔顺的元素，可以在广泛部署的可穿戴技术上运行的传感算法，以及新颖的kirigami/折纸启发的传感器平台和过滤效率的机械增强。尽管这些元素具有先进性，但该项目将使用当前的硬件和制造能力，并计划迅速过渡到具有成本效益的实施。更广泛的影响：研究表明，间隙（由于口罩不合适造成的）会导致过滤效率降低60%以上，这意味着未来的布口罩设计研究需要考虑“合适”和泄漏问题，同时允许呼出的空气有效排出。该项目中使用的针织方法允许使用迄今尚未用于医疗级口罩的工业产能，制造具有更多种尺寸和适合度选择的N-95级口罩。这些设计的成功实施将导致生产更多的个人防护装备并向卫生保健工作者提供。虽然拟议的制造工艺最初会更昂贵，但口罩结构将符合必要的标准，以允许可重复使用并随着时间的推移而持续适合；显著降低其每次使用成本。此外，这种实现半或完全定制的适合人脸的方法可以更广泛地适应各种可穿戴服装和设备。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Intellectual Merit: This project proposes to develop a rapidly manufacturable novel N95 class respirator design platform that decouples the relationship between comfort and filtering efficiency. The majority of N95 respirator masks are worn improperly even by trained medical personnel, caused by improper donning and fit when optimizing for comfort instead of filtering efficacy. The proposed N95 respirators would enable the monitoring and minimization of face touching and track cleaning cycles and usage patterns. The project will circumvent several fundamental shortcomings in the design of current N95 style respirator masks, as well as their fit and wear protocols. The proposed design maximizes compactness, comfort, and manufacturability, while enabling real-time monitoring of face-touch events. The research team will use the latest advances in knitting technology that controllably place stiff and compliant elements in a seamless and semi-customized manner, sensing algorithms that can run on widely deployed wearable technology, as well as novel kirigami/origami-inspired sensor platforms and mechanical enhancement for filter effectiveness. Despite the advanced nature of these elements, the project will use current hardware and manufacturing capacity and plans to quickly transition to cost-effective implementation.Broader Impact:Studies have implied that gaps (as caused by an improper fit of the mask) can result in over a 60% decrease in the filtration efficiency, implying the need for future cloth mask design studies to take into account issues of "fit" and leakage, while allowing the exhaled air to vent efficiently. The knitting-enabled approach used in this project allows for N-95 class of masks to be manufactured with a wider variety of size and fit options, using industrial capacity that has not been used to date for medical-grade masks. Successful implementation of these designs will result in greater numbers of PPE produced and made available to healthcare workers. Although the proposed manufacturing process will be more costly initially, the mask construction will meet the necessary standards to allow for reusability and continued fit over time; significantly reducing its per-use cost. Furthermore, this approach to achieving semi- or fully customized fit of something as varied as the human face can be more broadly adapted to a variety of wearable garments and devices.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.