Wearing FFP2 masks is now part of everyday life.
However, by far not everything about this solution is perfect.
Stephan Eck, managing director of Emosys in Starnberg, has thought about it - and developed a prototype for a completely new corona mask.
Starnberg - Pretty much everyone should know the feeling by now: Anyone who has at least once worn an FFP2 mask for several hours and had one or the other conversation knows - it's exhausting, it's uncomfortable and, to be honest, at some point a bit disgusting too.
“A small wet biotope is almost forming there,” says Stephan Eck and laughs.
The 37-year-old is the managing director of Emosys, a think tank for e-mobility based in Starnberg.
And even if the mask topic has very little to do with electric motors: Eck and Co. have tackled it and developed their own corona mask.
One, as he says, “that is significantly better and safer than anything previously available”.
The concept behind it is as simple as it is ingenious.
The nose and mouth are covered with a plastic mask, which with the help of a foam rubber fits snugly against the face.
"There is no air coming through", Eck asserts in an interview with the Starnberg Merkur.
This, on the other hand, is fed in and out via two laterally attached channels.
And that's exactly where the mask's highlight lies.
There are four LED diodes in each of the channels, which use UVC radiation to kill viruses in both the inhaled and exhaled air.
In other words: The person wearing the mask inhales germ-free air - and exhales just as germ-free air again.
Risk of contagion: "Equal to zero."
Aerosols are not only filtered, but all viruses are removed
The biggest difference compared to conventional FFP2 masks is that the aerosols are not only filtered, but also freed from any viruses - not just the coronaviruses, by the way.
A possibly unique idea so far.
“At least we are not yet aware of such a model,” says Eck.
He can rule out the risk that the UVC radiation could be dangerous or at least unhealthy for the wearer.
Special lamellas at both ends of the channels break the UVC waves so that they can neither enter nor exit.
A corresponding 40-hour test confirmed the procedure.
Eck emphasizes: "Everything worked optimally there."
Another advantage of the mask is its battery operation.
According to Eck, this lasts about eight hours and should later, when the mask comes on the market, use a light signal and a sound to indicate that it needs to be reloaded.
An exciting option for nurses or teachers, for example.
“You can wear the mask during work and then charge it at home for the next day,” says Eck.
In addition, the mask can be reused almost indefinitely.
"Disinfect everything regularly, that's basically all you need."
Emosys is still looking for business partners
Eck's employees have made around ten such masks in the Emosys building so far.
The 37-year-old is currently sending these to the so-called “Notified Bodies” such as the TÜV to obtain a patent for his idea.
Once this has worked, the next step is to look for business partners who will later produce and sell the masks.
“We completely lack the capacity for this,” says Eck.
When considering a potential partner, he particularly thinks of companies that can demonstrate experience in the medical field.
"That would be ideal."
How long it will take, however, before the masks, for which he considers a price of 50 to 70 euros per piece to be realistic, actually come onto the market, the Starnberg-born man is unable to say.
His forecast: "Half a year - if everything goes quickly."
