During CES 2021, Razer showed off a concept face mask with a transparent mouth screen, replaceable N95 filters, a voice amplifier, and of course, RGB lighting. Now, in an interview with Yahoo Finance, Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan confirms that the Project Hazel face mask is no longer just a concept, and will soon enter production.
Razer stepped up to the plate at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, manufacturing and donating around a million masks to hospitals and healthcare providers around the world. That experience led the company to design Project Hazel, a concept product that solves some of the social and sustainability issues of disposable masks without compromising the wearer’s safety.
Project Hazel concept masks feature adjustable ear loops, removable N95 filters, an amplifier for your voice, and rechargeable Chroma RGB lights. While the RGB lighting may seem unnecessary, the LEDs can actually illuminate your mouth as you speak, allowing people to see your facial expressions or read your lips through the masks’ clear, plastic mouth screen.
A quote from Min-Liang Tan’s interview with Yahoo Finance (typos and all):
We’ve realised that even with vaccinations we are hearing you still have to be masked up because there is still the risk factor that even if you’re vaccinated you still need to be incredibly careful. Secondly, there are also many countries that are unlikely that are going to get the whole [scale] of vaccinations in the next year or even two so travelling everyone should be very careful.
Razer hasn’t announced pricing or a release date for its Project Hazel mask, which requires government approval like any other form of PPE. That said, Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan claims that the mask will enter production soon. Even if Project Hazel launches in 2022, many people will continue to wear masks on a voluntary basis, so there will still be a need for such a product.
Source: Razer via Yahoo Finance, The Verge
