I have been working on prototypes for origami facemasks, or Fold-a-Face mask, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The early iterations of the design were published by IU Research and by various national and local news media include NY Times, Herald Times, Indianapolis Monthly, etc. Since then I have been working with multiple industry partners on improving the design. One of the ideas is to make the origami masks custom-fit to individual faces. Below I will show a few conceptual ideas related to custom-fit origami masks.
The Fold-A-Face mask is based on origami techniques. Choose the textures, colors, and folding styles that suit you best. It is folded from a single sheet of material and it can be flat packed for easy carrying.
How does it work?
- Take a digital side view photo of your face using the Fold-A-Face app. (Out of privacy concerns, the Fold-A-Face app will create a photo showing only the silhouette of your facial profile, not the details of your face).
- Upload the photos to Fold-A-Face through the Fold-A-Face app and it will come up with the custom pattern that best fits your face.
- Choose the colors and folding patterns that best reflect your style.
Ford-A-Face masks are also available with three different folding choices to accentuate your facial structure. For each of the unique patterns, you can fold in three different ways to fold a face mask: Triangle, Square, and Diagonal. The Triangle fold gives your face a more cheerful appearance, the Square fold gives your face a more composed appearance, and the Diagonal Fold gives your face a more uplifting appearance. Fold-A-Face to suit your own style and mood!
Fold-A-Face masks are offered in a variety of hues, shades, and tints, as well. Choose anything, from jewel turquoise to Alice blue. Fold-A-Face uses three-layer materials to provide you protection again viruses and germs. The outer layer is an elastomeric nylon fabric that has a negative triboelectric effect and is hydrophobic, the middle layer is a filtration media that is consistent with the BFE95 material found in normal surgical masks, and the inner layer is material that is soft to your face and is hydrophilic.
