ASU students design cooler, fog-free face mask in million-dollar contest

Winners will be announced in February 2021

(KYMA, KECY) - Arizona State University (ASU) students design face mask to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

ASU says Luminosity Lab has chosen its top 10 semifinalists in the million-dollar XPRIZE Next-gen Mask Challenge.

The goal is to build a more comfortable, functional, and affordable mask to prevent the virus's spread.

The contest drew nearly 1,000 entries from young innovators in more than 70 countries around the world.

The ASU Luminosity Lab team consists of Nikhil Dave, a student regent on the Arizona Board of Regents and undergraduate student earning a double major in neuroscience and innovation in society, John Patterson, a graduate electrical engineering student; Jerina Gabriel, an undergraduate graphic design student; Katie Pascavis, an undergraduate mechanical engineering student; and Tarun Suresh, a graduate industrial engineering student. 

“This means that your face stays cooler, the air you breathe in is fresher, and the flow of air stays away from glasses where it would otherwise cause fogging,” Dave said. “The separate chamber design also improves the surface area, making it easier to breathe through the mask than other existing mask designs. Finally, with the addition of a custom-colored mesh layer on the outside, our mask can be custom-manufactured to the color and fabric pattern desired by the wearer, making it a more visually appealing article to wear on an everyday basis.”

In the contest’s final round, a panel of judges and industry experts will select a grand-prize winner plus two additional teams, which will split a $1 million prize.

Winners will be announced in February 2021.