Miama: transparent face mask uncovers facial expressions

Over 50% of our communication is made up of facial expressions and gestures. Nonverbal communication is especially important to deaf or hearing-impaired people or people with dementia. A conventional mask makes this more difficult, may promote miscommunication and contribute to medical errors in extreme cases. Yet it is paramount to use a mask amid this pandemic. Miama helps solve this problem.

In this MEDICA-tradefair.com interview, Dr. Sebastian Hin talks about the transparent face mask miama, explains its primary application, and reveals its role amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Dr. Hin, what prompted you to develop a transparent face mask?

Dr. Sebastian Hin: The idea for miama was inspired by our speech therapy customer base. The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020 made it necessary to wear a mask during therapy to reduce infection risk. This created a challenge, especially in speech therapy, where interpreting facial expressions is paramount. Since traditional face masks prevent our ability to see facial expressions, many therapies became limited in their scope and effectiveness. This prompted iuvas to develop the miama transparent mask in April 2020.

What is the mask made of?

Hin: The mask body is made with thermoplastic elastomers (TPE). The mask band extenders are made of silicone material. The replaceable filters are composed of a layer of polypropylene fabric. The filters are secured with magnetic fasteners.

What are the benefits of this mask?

Hin: The main advantages are that our mask is transparent and a medical device. This medical device classification means our customers can rest assured that our face mask fully complies with the applicable safety and performance requirements and criteria. Miama offers a tight fit that helps to create a better seal around the sides of your face. The filters exhibit a particulate filtration efficiency of 98 percent for NaCl aerosols. This exceeds the latest state-of-the-art technology. Last but not least, its reusability is a major benefit, as is the fact that the mask body can be hygienically disinfected.

Who benefits most from this transparent mask and why?

Hin: The mask is best suited for speech therapists since the benefit/cost ratio is highest in this case. Many speech-language therapy sessions would not be possible without miama since conventional masks defeat their purpose. We also receive a lot of positive feedback from dementia caregivers, childcare facilities, and mental health professionals.

Miama is not ideal wherever a lot of physical activity is involved. That is owed to the mask's breathing resistance. It scales with the filtering performance. The shape of the mask certainly may take some getting used to. Miama only comes in one size, which might mean people with very big or very small heads could have issues with the fit of the mask.

How does miama help curb the spread of the coronavirus?

Hin: If you look at the global face mask market, miama only makes up a small percentage of available tools that curb the pandemic and prevent COVID transmission.

However, miama's biggest contribution is that it facilitates essential therapies and the types of care where facial expressions or human interaction are crucial to success. It would be impossible to conduct these therapy sessions and foster an improved quality of life with traditional face masks.