Ingenious Mask

Circuit diagram for ingenious mask
Design of mask designed on Open SCAD

Inspiration

The inspiration for our project came from the pandemic period when the whole world was locked in their own home. The covid-19 wouldn't have spread much if we all had took some more precautions and if there was some solutions for the ease of wearing and using the mask. So, we felt some need for the better and easy practices for mask which are more effective than using normal masks and doesn't required to be handled manually. We came up with a solution of making an automatic mask which will not only be comfortable but also helps in having a touchless experience with masks so that the virus present on your hand doesn't transmitted to your mouth or face.

What it does

The Ingenious mask works on the principles of the Arduino Uno and sensors like Ultrasonic Distance Sensor HC SR-04, MQ-2 Gas Sensor and Servo Motor SG-90. With traditional existing masks user has to touch the mask and manually remove it with hands which can lead to increased risk of spreading the virus. To overcome these problems we designed the ingenious mask such that it has a ultrasonic sensor so whenever a person wants to remove the mask or put on the mask he/she just have to wave the hand in air near the ultrasonic sensor which would be detected by the it and the mask will move down or up respectively. We also added a feature of Gas Sensor such that whenever some toxic gas or smoke which can be detected by the MQ-2 Gas Sensor, the sensor will bring the mask up immediately. The movement of mask up and down is achieved by servo motor. The mask is attached to the jaws and the jaws to the servo motor. The representation of the same will also be represented in the diagram attached as jpg images below.

How we built it

The first step to build the ingenious mask was to select the materials for the mask and its whole frame in which it would be attached. So we selected material in the context of product design, the main goal of material selection was to minimize cost while meeting product performance goals and also to get benefited by the use of material index or performance index relevant to the desired material properties. We selected ABS(Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) for the whole frame of the mask in which the jaws for mask would be there we selected that because it has high tensile strength and is very resistant to physical impacts and chemical corrosion, which allow the finished plastic to withstand heavy use and adverse environmental conditions. ABS material can be recycled with other materials hence making it eco-friendly. Another material was Polycarbonate which was used as an protective wear for eye as it can also carry the virus through the fluid present in eyes. We used polycarbonate as it is an incredibly useful plastic for applications requiring transparency and high impact resistance. It is a lighter alternative to glass and a natural UV filter, so it is often used in eyewear. Then coming to the second most important part of the project that was coding for interfacing servo motor and all the sensors with Arduino Uno. For that, we used tinkercad simulation. On tinkercad we had written the code and also made the circuit diagram for the following. We also designed the whole product on open-scad.

Challenges we ran into

Material Selection for Ingenious Mask

Designing Ingenious Mask & Frame

Integration with Arduino

Manufacturing Cost

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We were able to achieve the required simulation and also had a satisfactory prototype for our product. We also overcome all the challenges we faced while coding and designing ingenious mask. We were able to achieve mask which had a touchless on/off control to minimize transmission of virus orally or through the nasal cavity. It is comfortable to use and wear just like normal glasses. It also protects the user from bad air quality. It has an effective eye shield which provides protection from infected foreign agents entering our eyes. It has a changeable mask, which can be changed after usage. It is very much portable. You can even carry it in your bag!

What we learned

We learnt and enhanced many qualities while doing the project some of the things were collaborating with teammates, personally our problem solving skills got enhanced. We developed creativity and self-confidence. Critical Thinking in programming was also developed. We also learnt how to accurately select the materials and interface the sensors with Arduino.

What's next for Ingenious Mask

The auto mask could be further developed by various means such as detachable muscle sensor Muscle sensor: This sensor is attached to the abdomen along with disposable electrodes. When the individual sneezes or coughs, the mask will close up to prevent virus transmission through water droplets.