TOKYO: Japanese startup Donut Robotics has developed a face mask with smart capabilities, including the ability to translate what the wearer is saying into eight different languages.
According to details, the C-FACE Smart Mask contains cutouts on the front and is vital for breathability. Made of white plastic and silicone, it has an embedded microphone that connects to the wearer’s smartphone via Bluetooth.
The smart mask can translate the wearer’s speech from Japanese into Vietnamese, English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Indonesian, and French. The Japanese startup first developed the translation software for a robot called Cinnamon — but when the pandemic hit, the robot project was put on hold.
“We worked hard for years to develop a robot and we have used that technology to create a product that responds to how the coronavirus has reshaped society,” Taisuke Ono, chief executive of Donut Robotics, said.
Estimated to cost $40 per mask, the first 5,000 masks will be available to Japanese buyers in September before expanding to China, the US, and Europe, too.
The coronavirus pandemic has led to a boom in face mask sales, with mask-wearing in public now mandated in many countries around the world.
The mask has already raised more than $260,000 on crowd-funding website Fundinno. The company plans to use its funding to develop the masks further, possibly adding AR or VR components, to help translate from images, not just speech.
ADVERTISEMENT
