School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA; Wearable Intelligent Systems and Healthcare Center (WISH Center), Institute for Matter and Systems, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA.
Applied Nano and Thermal Science Lab, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, 08826, South Korea.
Biomaterials. 2025 Mar;314:122866. doi: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2024.122866. Epub 2024 Sep 27.
The widespread emergence of airborne diseases has transformed our lifestyle, and respirators have become an essential part of daily life. Nevertheless, finding respirators that fit well can be challenging due to the variety of human facial sizes and shapes, potentially compromising protection. In addition, the current respirators do not inform the user of the air quality in case of continuous long-term use. Here, we introduce a smart filtering facepiece respirator incorporating a humidity sensor and pressure sensory feedback for self-fit adjusting and maintaining an adequate fit. The humidity detection sensor uses laser-induced graphene, and the pressure sensor array based on the dielectric elastomeric sponge monitors the respirator contact on the user's face, providing real-time closed-loop feedback and the wearer's fitting status. Those membrane sensors show outstanding performance, such as a low humidity hysteresis of 0.131 % and a precise pressure detection limit of 0.23 ± 0.02 kPa. As a result of the self-fit adjusting mode, the overall fit factor is increased by 10 % on average compared to the commercial respirator. This significant improvement in fit factor, coupled with the innovative design, has the potential to develop next-generation facepiece respirators as essential personal protective equipment.
空气中传播疾病的广泛出现改变了我们的生活方式，呼吸器已成为日常生活的重要组成部分。然而，由于人类面部大小和形状的多样性，找到合适的呼吸器可能具有挑战性，这可能会影响到保护效果。此外，目前的呼吸器在用户连续长期使用的情况下无法告知其空气质量。在这里，我们介绍了一种智能过滤式面罩呼吸器，它结合了湿度传感器和压力感应反馈，用于自我适配调整，以保持适当的贴合度。湿度检测传感器采用激光诱导石墨烯，基于介电弹性体海绵的压力传感器阵列监测呼吸器与用户面部的接触情况，提供实时闭环反馈和佩戴者的贴合状态。这些膜传感器表现出出色的性能，例如低湿度滞后为 0.131%，以及精确的压力检测限为 0.23 ± 0.02 kPa。由于自适应调整模式，与商业呼吸器相比，整体适配系数平均提高了 10%。这种适配系数的显著提高，加上创新的设计，有可能开发出下一代面罩呼吸器作为基本的个人防护设备。
