Companies roll out wacky, high-tech masks

Keeping track: A research fellow at Singapore’s Nanyang Technology University wearing a face mask with sensors that monitor body temperature, blood pressure and heart rate, among others. — AFP

FROM monitoring vital signs to filtering filthy air and even translating speech into other languages, the coronavirus-fuelled boom in mask-wearing has spawned an unusual range of high-tech face coverings.

As masks become the norm globally, tech companies and researchers are rolling out weird and wonderful models to guard against infection and cash in on a growing trend.One of the wackiest comes from Japan, where start-up Donut Robotics has created a face covering that helps users adhere to social distancing and also acts as a translator.