Huami plans transparent mask that can clean itself

The face mask is called Aeri.

A boy adjusts his protective face mask outside a primary school, as Austrian schools reopen for pupils aged roughly six to 14, during the global coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Brunn am Gebirge, Austria May 18, 2020. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger (REUTERS)

Amid COVID-19, imagine a face mask that would not block the view of your face and can also disinfect itself for long-term use. That is a kind of wearable that Xiaomi-backed startup Huami, best known for its Amazfit brand of devices, plans to bring to the mass market.

When connected to a power supply through a USB port, the built-in ultraviolet lights in the plastic mask can disinfect filters within a span of 10 minutes, according to a TechCrunch report on Sunday.

Called Aeri, the mask is designed to come with N95-like filtration capacity.

However, the disinfecting capacity is limited to inside of the mask. Users will have to clean the outer surface themselves.

But wearing a transparent mask has its own advantages, especially at a time when doing away with masks appears to come with significant health risk even as the world begins to reopen their economies amid the pandemic.

One of those major advantages is facial recognition. The Aeri project hinged on the premise that wearing a see-through mask would allow people to unlock their phone without removing the mask.

Shenzhen-headquartered Huami is targeting the mass consumer market with the mask. So it is expected that the product will be competitively priced even though there is not yet any official word on the price.

The mask is built as a protective gear keeping in mind not just the virus that causes the pandemic, but also everyday pollution, said the report.