Japanese Startup Creates ‘Linked’ Face Masks for Coronavirus New Regular

As face coverings change into the norm amid the coronavirus pandemic, Japanese startup Donut Robotics has developed an internet-connected ‘good masks’ that may transmit messages and translate from Japanese into eight different languages.

The white plastic ‘c-mask’ suits over customary face masks and connects through Bluetooth to a smartphone and pill software that may transcribe speech into textual content messages, make calls, or amplify the masks wearer’s voice.

“We labored onerous for years to develop a robotic and we have now used that know-how to create a product that responds to how the coronavirus has reshaped society,” mentioned Taisuke Ono, the chief government of Donut Robotics.

Donut Robotics’ engineers got here up with the concept for the masks as they looked for a product to assist the corporate survive the pandemic. When the coronavirus struck, it had simply secured a contract to produce robotic guides and translators to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, a product that faces an unsure future after the collapse of air journey.

Donut Robotics’ first 5,000 c-masks will probably be shipped to patrons in Japan beginning in September, with Ono trying to promote in China, the US and Europe too. There was sturdy curiosity, he mentioned.

At about $40 (roughly Rs. three,000) per masks, Donut Robotics is aiming at a mass market that didn’t exist till a number of months in the past. One purpose, he mentioned, is to generate income from subscriber companies supplied through an app that customers will obtain.

Donut Robotics constructed a prototype related masks inside a month by adapting translation software program developed for its robotic and a masks design that one of many firm’s engineers, Shunsuke Fujibayashi, created 4 years in the past for a pupil mission to interpret speech by mapping face muscle mass.

Ono raised JPY 28 million (roughly Rs. 1.98 crores) for growth by promoting Donut Robotics shares by Japanese crowdfunding website Fundinno.

“We raised our preliminary goal of seven million yen inside three minutes and stopped after 37 minutes once we had reached 28 million yen,” he mentioned.

© Thomson Reuters 2020