Razer announces Project Hazel “smart mask”
Since the coronavirus pandemic broke out, wearing masks have become a part of our daily routine. As such, many companies across the globe have been putting mask after mask on the market, all of which are geared toward offering us protection. Now, Razer recently announced the launch of “Project Hazel,” the brand’s initiative to develop the world’s smartest mask.
Razer, the leading lifestyle brand for gamers and gaming enthusiasts, showcased the prototype of the Project Hazel smart mask on their website. While it is still currently a concept, we’re getting pretty hyped up to grab our own when the mask does get mass-produced. (Read: Here’s everything Razer announced at RazerCon 2020)
At first glance, Project Hazel’s smart mask looks like it was taken straight out of a post-apocalyptic video game. It adopts the aesthetic of your standard gas mask, but it appears to be much sleeker with a transparent body. It is rechargeable, and it is made out of recycled plastic. It is see-through, which allows for lip-reading and the visibility of facial cues, both of which are virtually impossible to see or do with your standard face masks.
The Project Hazel smart mask also has a wide range of other features. These include active ventilation, which will filter both the air that is taken in and expelled, an auto-sterilization function that gets activated when the mask is being charged, a voice amplifying capacity to help people better understand what you’re saying, and a low-light mode that will automatically light up the inside of the mask when it gets dark.
The Project Hazel smart mask will reportedly be powered by Razer’s very own Razer Chroma™ RGB, offering over 16.8 million different colors and a whole host of lighting settings.
While the Project Hazel smart mask will certainly be the first of its kind, it is not Razer’s first time producing face masks. When the coronavirus pandemic broke out, Razer developed a fully automated production line meant to distribute surgical masks across the globe.
According to Razer, they did this in the effort to “[step] up in these trying times to do [their] part in the fight against COVID-19.” Under the hashtag #RazerForLife, the gaming company made its foray into the medical industry to aid in supplying masks worldwide. Currently, you can purchase a box of disposable surgical masks on their website.
When we announced Project Hazel, we got enquiries how a gaming company could engineer a medical mask. Well, at the start of the pandemic, we urgently converted some of our facilities to manufacture certified, high quality medical masks and have donated over 1M masks worldwide. pic.twitter.com/wrx8biWm5A
— Min-Liang Tan (@minliangtan) January 14, 2021
For now, Razer has not yet revealed the pricing and the release date of the Project Hazel smart mask. While the brand claims that the mask will be equivalent to an N95 mask in how it filters out particles in the air, it still hasn’t obtained the green light from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of course, this also means that this hasn’t gotten certification from the Philippine FDA as well.
However, in a statement they made to tech publication The Verge, Razer says that they are working with scientists and medical professionals to develop the Project Hazel smart mask and ensure that it offers the best possible protection.
