Ford making N95 masks with clear panels to help the deaf and ease communication

Ford is using its engineering skills to solve a thorny coronavirus problem: designing a medical-grade facial mask that reveals users’ facial expressions and also allows people with hearing impairments to read the lips. The automaker, which began producing personal protective equipment in the early 1990s Coronavirus pandemichas developed a face mask with clear panels that also filters out most particles in the air.

“In those early days, everyone was learning what it was like to live in a masked environment. great. “Jim Baumbick, the leader in Ford’s PPE manufacturing effort, told CBS MoneyWatch. “It simply came to our notice then that we could help serve these people effectively [with a mask] you are taking away from them another way in which they rely on communication and connection. “

Baumbick also sees potential for Ford’s clear respirators to improve interactions between physicians and patients, as well as faculty and students.

The mask is still under development and its filtration capacity has not yet been approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). NIOSH-approved N95 respirators form an airtight seal on the user’s face and filter out at least 95% of the particles in the air. Any mask that claims to be an N95 but does not bear the NIOSH seal of approval is considered inauthentic or falsifiedaccording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While N95 respirators provide strong protection against coronavirus, are scarce and are only recommended for use by healthcare workers. The manufacturer of industrial and health products 3M recently acknowledged that it is still struggling to meet the demand of front-line workers despite quadrupling production in the US. It currently makes 95 million respirators a month.

Ford expects the masks to be available in the spring, pending NIOSH certification. The current goal of the company is to test respirators, initially with top managers, medical workers and teachers. It is unclear how Ford will distribute the masks and whether they will be more available.

“We are looking for N95 certification and working with NIOSH to make sure we go through the entire testing regime before bringing them to market,” Baumbick said.

Transparent plastic panels are coated with a mist treatment and can be replaced, according to Ford. The panels are designed to provide a complete view of users ’faces, while the side panels of the masks are made of highly efficient filtration material, Baumbick said.

—Michael Roppolo of CBS News contributed to the reports

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