WLWT: UC engineering students design custom 3D-printed face mask
UC app converts a picture of your face into a 3D-rendered mask for a perfect fit
WLWT Channel 5 talked to University of Cincinnati engineering students about their new phone app that renders a picture of your face into a 3D-printed face mask with a custom fit.
The face masks fit more snugly than many other types of masks that are one-size-fits-all, UC students said. And since they have a rubber gasket, they create a more airtight seal to reduce exposure to airborne germs such as COVID-19.
"It's made by you, made for you and made only for you," UC engineering student Shriya Patil told WLWT Channel 5.
Sam Anand. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Creative + Brand
The students also spoke to Local 12 about their project conceived in UC engineering professor Sam Anand's Siemens Simulation Technology Lab.
"A single mask cannot fit everyone," UC engineering student Abinash Patro told Local 12. He and other mechanical and materials engineering students in UC's College of Engineering and Applied Science developed a prototype for a lightweight plastic frame with a rubber gasket that is washable and reusable. A replaceable filter snaps in the center.
UC's app renders a picture of your face into a custom-designed face mask frame consumers can make on any 3D printer. Students are still making modifications, but once they are satisfied, they plan to share their phone app with the public.
The students work in professor Anand's lab in UC's Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering. Anand told Local 12 that 3D printers could create the custom mask in about an hour.
Featured image at top: UC engineering student Shriya Patil wears a custom 3D-printed face mask she helped design. Photo/Ravenna Rutledge/UC Creative + Brand
UC College of Engineering and Applied Science student Abinash Patro talks to Local 12 about the face mask project. Photo/Local 12
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