Improved face-worn PPE designs for use by the public and professionals to reduce audio-visual communication difficulties

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To reduce the transmission of COVID-19, personal protective equipment (PPE) isrequired. PPE to protect the eyes, nose and mouth comprises face masks and transparentvisors. These range from a simple covering made from domestic fabrics for use by thepublic, to FFP3/N99 rated air filters and wrap-around face visors in care settings. All thesePPE styles make spoken and signed communication harder. Everyone, not just thehearing impaired, will struggle to understand in real-world conditions and backgroundsounds. This will result in increased listening effort, stress, communication errors andpotentially social withdrawal. Articles published in May 2020 by the PI and his groupleader in a professional journal(https://www.entandaudiologynews.com/features/audiology-features/post/the-challenges-of-facemasks-for-people-with-hearing-loss) produced over 100 responses from anxiousadults, parents, public and professionals.Both acoustic and visual cues are reduced by face coverings: (i) acoustic : the high frequencies ofthe sound are attenuated, leading to a "muffled" perception (ii) visual : sight of the talker's mouthmovements that can be used by all listeners to supplement the muffling of speech and (iii) visual :full-facial expressions that convey emotions, supplement lip-reading and are essentialcomponents of (the non-acoustic) British Sign Language (BSL).Employing user surveys, fabrication, and testing, this project will produce validated examples offacemask and visor designs that preserve acoustic and visual cues thereby offering less effortfulcommunication in a variety of usage scenarios. It brings together acousticians, audiologists,material scientists, and users to tackle an urgent problem that affects everyone now, and will alsooutlast the current pandemic.