Clear N95 face masks designed by Ford could be huge for hearing impaired, teachers

Phoebe Wall Howard, Detroit Free Press

Ford Motor Co. has designed and created clear N95 face masks so that hearing impaired people can read lips while protecting themselves from COVID-19, the company announced Tuesday.

A patent is pending for the new design, which is awaiting federal approval to qualify for N95 status from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

The low-cost, reusable respirators may supplement or replace the use of cloth masks that block facial expression and lips from view as mask wearers seek protection from the increased threat of new coronavirus variants. In addition to the hearing impaired, these masks could be used by people who depend on facial expressions to better do their jobs, like teachers.

Face masks many people wear today are not tight. Respirators are airtight on the face and protect both the wearer and the people nearby. This new design by Ford filters exhalation, protecting the people around the face mask user.

Ford has also made and distributed cloth surgical masks.

Hana Forbes works on the Ford clear N 95 respirator mask.
Hana Forbes works on the Ford clear N 95 respirator mask.

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“One of the things that’s missing during the pandemic is the power of a smile,” said Jim Baumbick, Ford vice president, Enterprise Product Line Management and leader of the company's PPE (personal protection equipment) manufacturing effort, in a news release.

“This clear respirator promises to improve interactions between neighbors, at the store and for those who have hearing impairments."

An immigrant's legacy

Will Brick, design prototype lead at D-Ford, the company’s human-centered design studio, designed the clear mask.

“I was interested in making something that was reusable, that didn’t fog somebody’s glasses,” he told the Free Press. “I was looking in the mirror at the shop to see how it would fit on the face and realized I could see myself smiling.”

Hana Forbes, left, Martin Delonis and Will Brick work on the design for the Ford clear N 95 respirator masks.
Hana Forbes, left, Martin Delonis and Will Brick work on the design for the Ford clear N 95 respirator masks.

The goal, initially, was to design a transparent reusable N95 respirator for health providers — an idea inspired by discussions with doctors, nurses and respiratory therapists, Brick said. “So you could share facial expressions and bring some humanity back to our conversations and encounters with people. A simple human thing like a smile has been absent so many months now.”

Will Brick, the designer of the clear N95 respirator mask made by Ford, is the great-grandson of Fred Manhire, who worked in the Rouge plant. He came to Detroit from Cornwall, England and is seen here circa 1933.
Will Brick, the designer of the clear N95 respirator mask made by Ford, is the great-grandson of Fred Manhire, who worked in the Rouge plant. He came to Detroit from Cornwall, England and is seen here circa 1933.

Brick is from a family that has worked in the auto industry for more than a century. His great-grandfather, Fred Manhire, moved from working the tin mines in Cornwall, England, to working mines in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, known for its copper. Then he headed down to Detroit to work at the Rouge plant. He did a number of jobs that included attaching steering wheels on the Model A.

Now Brick, 41, is part of a team doing final advanced prototyping. Not only would these be helpful to hearing-impaired people but Ford also learned that children with autism have a harder time communicating when they can’t see facial expressions.

Hana Forbes, left, Martin Delonis and Will Brick work on the design for the Ford clear N 95 masks.
Hana Forbes, left, Martin Delonis and Will Brick work on the design for the Ford clear N 95 masks.

Reusable N95 respirators could provide medical protection as well as ease demand for disposable masks and reduce waste, he said.

Ford plans to do continued testing this winter in hopes of making the masks available in the spring. It is unclear at this time whether they will be sold or donated.

Promise from Bill Ford

A Ford clear N95 respirator mask.
A Ford clear N95 respirator mask.

Bill Ford, executive chairman of the company, has committed to donating 100 million masks by mid-2021. The company recently increased its commitment to 120 million. These are medical-grade face masks primarily for at-risk communities, in addition to supplies being made available at Ford dealerships around the country. The Ford Fund has played a key role in distribution.

Ford has donated 66 million surgical-style face masks to date, Baumbick said Tuesday.

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Ford cleared approximately $50 million in profit from its government contract to make ventilators this year to replenish the national stockpile, in addition to small sales of PPE, including isolation gowns, Mark Truby, chief communications officer at Ford, said in November.

Martin Delonis tries on one of the new Ford clear N 95 respirator masks.
Martin Delonis tries on one of the new Ford clear N 95 respirator masks.

In addition to filling the government contract order for ventilators, the company has made face masks, face shields, gowns and respirators. Most of the face shields were donated to first responders and health care workers throughout the nation.

Contact Phoebe Wall Howard: 313-222-6512 or phoward@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @phoebesaid. Read more on Ford and sign up for our autos newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Clear N95 face masks from Ford could help hearing impaired, teachers

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