INNOVATION-July-August-2020

Mold used for vacuuming step in Can-Mask formation process. P hoto : P aul J ospeh /UBC.

the humidity,” through the novel use of a silicone diaphragm. At the same time, Keulen has also been experimenting with different paper formulas to assess them not only for formability, but also durability, permeability, breathability, and comfort. One formula included gelatin that smelled like strawberries. Said Foster, “What Casey has done is really very difficult. When you try to extend paper around a form, it breaks, and we had a lot of failures to start, a lot of ripped paper.” But Keulen eventually achieved a hemisphere shape that will, he said, “form nicely,” which has allowed him to create several versions of a consumer-grade prototype—even one built specifically to accommodate beards—that are now ready for testing. The masks are made with one wood-fibre material for the

passive outside of the mask, and another for the active inside, which will work to filter out droplets and particles that could contain COVID-19. The team is also testing prototypes of an N95-equivalent mask (to meet stricter requirements, it will require some non- biodegradable parts), and intend to apply to Health Canada certification for both the consumer- and surgical-grade masks shortly. Foster and Rojas are also looking for manufacturing partners to help them scale up production, with the goal of manufacturing hundreds of thousands a day to increase national and international supplies. Because all indications are that this will not be the last global pandemic, these supplies could

be critical, not just during the current crisis, but also the ones that follow.

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