The mask becomes high-tech: the projects of 3 Italian companies

From graphene fabrics to 3D modeling, the masks to protect against Covid-19 become the test field for innovations to be applied to other industrial sectors

(photo: Volanthevist / Getty Images) Made in Italy, sustainable , connected, 3D printed. The "second generation" of masks, those that arrive after phase 1 and the related supply and inventory problems, change their skin. They are technological products, the result of research paths designed to identify technical characteristics that combine functionality and practicality with innovation and its benefits. Here is a selection of Italian companies that have developed and started marketing alternative items to the classic surgical masks or ffp2, but which guarantee the same degree of personal protection from the virus. And from pollen, smog and bacteria, so that they can be used even when the health emergency has completely returned.

In dialogue with the app

Narvalo is a spin-off startup of the Polytechnic of Milan and Bls, a Lombard company specialized in the production of respiratory protection devices. Two years ago he started designing Narvalo urban mask, a 100% Italian ffp3 mask. "Antivirus and antibacteria were designed even before the pandemic, designed with the highest level of protection possible," says Venanzio Arquilla, co-founder and president of Narvalo. With Covid-19 it became clear that it could also be sold to protect against the new virus. "Our challenge was to bring and adapt a product born for the industry and seen at B2B level, to the final consumer. With a series of attentions to comfort, aesthetics and design, ”says Arquilla. It can filter 99.9% of pollutants as well as bacteria, dust, viruses that can be transmitted through the air by droplets and aerosol particles.

Bezel Narwhal urban mask (credits: Narwhal) Next to the mask, Narwhal has created an app . It works with the smartphone's Gps and monitor the quality of the air that is breathed in during their journey, showing the difference of the air you breathe with or without the mask. “ Our goal is to work on innovation and products to change the quality of the air we breathe, ” says Arquilla: “ And so, even when the pandemic is over, we have a distinctive positioning on the market . By the end of the year is expected the release of a new version of the mask, with a valve electronic equipped with a fan for extraction and intelligent sensors ”. The mask thus becomes a device that is connected to the follow-up data, such as temperature and humidity in the mask.

3D Design

Pattern, the company tricolore active in the development, prototyping and production of clothing lines, has created a Mask , a mask composed of a washable fabric and a filter fabric-non-fabric .

“ The project is born in the moment at the beginning of the pandemic we were against that, considering our core business, we could be useful for the local communities, in addition to the fund, the Italian textiles ”, says Luca Sburlati, ceo of the group Pattern: “ There was immediately the desire to develop a product that would be reusable, and therefore sustainable . The research on the fabrics that we carry out on a daily basis, has allowed us to take the project forward in fast time, while the filter that we use has been among the top ten filters on the tnt (tissue-non-tissue) certificate from the Polytechnic of Milan ”.

And Mask (credits: And Mask) “ Despite the difficulties imposed by the closure, our knowledge of 3D design has allowed us to work in smart working ”. The mask is, in fact, was developed with a 3D design software that is normally used on the modeling of the clothing fashion, which can be managed by remote, and passing by simulations in 2D to a 3D platform, creates real virtual models. A Qr code applied on each product certifies the origin : it is sufficient to you with the cell phone to go back to the chain.

The graphene

The idea is born in the first weeks of the emergency: to exploit the properties of graphene in order to give life to a mask that is innovative. Directa Plus is a manufacturer and supplier of graphene with registered office in Lombardy and is listed on the London stock exchange. In the past, has already experienced the use of this material both in tissues and in the treatment of the water. In recent months, he has developed G+ Co-Mask, a mask to the graphene with antibacterial properties, antistatic and heat conduction . Means that can disperse the excess heat and is easy to sanitize.



“ The graphene by its nature, acts with a “barrier effect”, very probably also has antiviral properties , which are in the testing phase, ” explains founder and ceo of Directa Plus, Giulio Cesareo: “ In addition, leads the heat, allowing them to create heat loss and sterilize the mask.

To develop the new product, the company has tested 180 materials before opting for a jersey that is breathable , on which is applied a print to the graphene. For the model in cotton, has been designed in a new technology, the impregnation with graphene . The cotton is treated with water and graphene, which thus penetrates inside the fiber. Finally, the filter , which is inserted in the pocket of the mask and has a duration of 16 hours, is obtained through a total covering of graphene. It is breathable and capable of filtering bacteria 95%.

G+ Co-Mask (Credits: Directa plus) “ ours was not a conversion, rather a small project based on our know-how ”, says Caesarius, “ A project that has contributed to the research and development of the company. When the emergency was over, the masks are a device to protect themselves from pollution , for example) to wear under the helmet of motorcyclists. Or to protect themselves from the cold, as a complement to the ski helmet ”. “ But, above all, are the studies done and the knowledge acquired on the anti-viral properties and air filtration of graphene, which were already in our calendar, but have undergone an acceleration. We did in 3 months what we could have done it in 8-9 months , acquiring knowledge that will be useful to us for future developments ”, says the ad. The experiments on the filtration of the air represent the first step of the company to specialise in the purification of the air .