Atmos Faceware - Precursor to 'better' air filters?
https://whatsnew2day.com/atmos-faceware-makes-clean-air-an-expensive-accessory/
At $350 it's definitely on the expensive side, but as with anything you can expect price drops and knock offs after a few years.
Obviously 'better' is in quotes because everything has tradeoffs, without power this is probably nearly useless and with a 5 hour battery life that's not a huge time, but it's not terrible either for many events. The pros are
The company had its own research conducted, which showed that the mask offered better protection against particles than standard air filter masks that are certified by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). (The study has not been published and has not been evaluated by peers.) Ao Air considers it a new solution for air pollution protection: unlike most face masks and other respirators, the Atmos Faceware does not require an airtight seal to be effective, according to the company’s press release. Facial hair, sweat and other factors that can normally disrupt a seal do not interfere with the function of Faceware, the company says. Wearing Atmos Faceware is also pushed as a design choice, as well as a health choice: “Our transparent design rests on the bridge of your nose so that others can see your face"
Plus not relying on lung power so easier to breathe.
Posted Jan 8, 2020, 3:03 AM UTC
Key words here: “Study has not been evaluated by peers”. That’s sorta like advertisements for herbal supplements they claim will help some condition, then you see the disclaimer at the end of the ad “not intended to cure or treat any disease or condition”.
Well yeah obviously, but even assuming it doesn't work well to be at CES rather than just some random thing some company came out with means that it's entered that realm of thought where it can be worked on and new, proven, solutions can come out. Hence the question of whether it might be a precursor rather than 'the new best thing ever' :)
Blow-by masks like this are really not a new design. I remember seeing them back in the 80s made for kids with compromised immune systems. There's a reason the blow-by design hasn't been used for anything "serious". Without a face seal, you can't be sure contaminants won't be pulled into the "clean" space via venturi effects. If a little smog gets by this it's not going to hurt you. So they can make all the claims they want. For anything "serious", I'll stick to my SCBA, PAPR, and APR systems, thank you very much.
Good to know, as for 'serious' I was just thinking of something between the disposable N95 masks and a traditional gas mask, SCBA is something else since I can't see carrying one around in my car without truly expecting to need it and even traditional gas masks can be fairly bulky.
This isn't a topic I've delved too much into being outside of major cities and plants so not having to worry much about air pollution or riots, though there's a fair bit of forest in the county so if a major fire did start it'd be a concern. So thanks for being the only person to comment :)
Hey, as above, I'm one of the founders of Ao Air. Between an N95 and a gas mask is where we are today. However, we have only focused on particulate matter not gases. Current version is a smaller than a gas mask, but obviously bigger than a N95. It will perform super well against wildfire smoke, we (as a team) are disappointed we were not able to get some out to the people in Sydney who are suffering - the current N95 isn't a good solution for them.
Hey, as noted above I'm one of the founders. And you're right, Blow By have been around for some time. This isn't a blow by mask however.
It is however like the PAPR. But think of it as a localized PAPR. A PAPR only for the mouth and nose. We create a super localised pocket of high pressure air, in fact to conserve energy we avoid a venturi.
But to your point. If you need something serious eg a biological threat, or gaseous threat the SCBA, full PAPR are the ones to go for. We're really a replacement for the consumer N95 and double barreled respirators for now.
More than happy to answer your questions - sound like you know what you're talking about.
It’s not a replacement for N95 unless your product can meet the same standards.
Hey, I'm actually one of the founders. Was just doing a lurk and saw the comments. So we did the original validation work then a full study which confirms performance was independently performed over a course of a year by the Auckland University of Technology. Here's a link to their press release. https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU2001/S00035/aut-biodesign-collaborates-to-reduce-air-pollution-impact.htm
So the comment "not evaluated by peers" is a bit of the journalistic spin but I get why they say it.
More than happy to answer why the results were up to 50x better than market leading masks (depends on what type of mask you were testing against).
Put your money where your mouth is. Put your mask up for NIOSH testing and certification. Until then, it’s nothing more than a fashion piece.
Your right to be skeptical. It's your health on the line, that's why we are honest about what we have been tested against and what the Atmos can, and can't do.
And the second thing we did was put our money where our mouth is and put it directly up against the N95. It was 5-25 times better in testing than the N95 in protecting against PM2.5: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58fe7cc86b8f5bf31bd7b9b4/t/5e068cd381e14d1a25f0a16a/1577487575935/180201+Face+Mask+Performance+Comparison+Summary.+V1.pdf
The key is that the AUT tested on real humans, sweating, doing their own fit tests etc. Many current testing is done on fake heads, heads which don't sweat, smile, talk and have different shapes.
NIOSH certification as an N95 (under their definitions) is impossible. The reason being that they test the seal, we have no seal.