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In the article, “Helloface Innovative Facemask” by University of Hertfordshire (2022), discussed the business success behind Dean Ezekiel’s creation. Dean Ezekiel created a company called Helloface that makes transparent face masks, an alternative to medical masks. This idea came from Dean’s wife who is partially deaf and relies on lip reading. It can help people who are deaf or hard of hearing communicate, as well as in industries where facial recognition is necessary. This mask comes with various features such as anti-fog, adjustable strap, and more.  These features can be based on the consumer’s needs and demands. The article mentioned, “Dean’s successfully trading business UPGRADE, which works with the travel industry went into complete shutdown.” during the first lockdown. (Ezekiel, 2022) He quickly pivoted and used his entrepreneurial skills to invent a new idea with the help of expertise and support from the University of Hertfordshire's Business Incubator, which provided mentoring and peer-to-peer learning. The Incubator assisted Dean in securing funding, gaining expertise, and establishing new connections, which enabled him to start a new business and enter new markets. In the early stage, Dean benefited from the support of academic experts to validate his designs, suggest improvements, and protect his intellectual property. The University mentored and advised Dean's company, assisting them in bringing an innovative and compliant product to market. The Helloface mask provides reusable protection while user is still able to communicate. The Welsh Government, the SBRI Centre of Excellence, and NHS Wales have all awarded the company a contract. The University continues to advise the company on future expansion and collaboration opportunities.

Helloface Mask allows users with certain disabilities to ease communication and also caters to users’ comfortability as the straps are adjustable. Although this facemask includes some valuable features such as an adjustable strap and transparent body, the price is significantly on a higher scale for a facemask.

The common facemask such as medical/surgical mask, comes in 2 sizes as the straps are not adjustable. Hence, according to the article, Dean Ezekiel came up with a solution by creating Helloface masks which has an additional feature that makes the strap adjustable. Helloface mask has adjustable head & ear loop straps. This makes the mask unique as compared to medical masks as it not only fits a wide range of head shapes and sizes, but also provides users with hearing aids and glasses to provide more comfort and flexibility while in use. The adjustable head straps of the facemask also allow users to tighten or loosen the fit of the mask according to their comfort and fit. This is a useful feature as users can no longer worry about their mask being too loose.

Another distinct feature Helloface possesses is that the facemask has a transparent body, which enables its users to read off the lips of others. “On average, one in five people in the UK experience some kind of hearing loss, of which 151,000 people use British Sign Language to communicate.” (n.d). This implies that there might be a communication barrier among certain individuals with disabilities as wearing an opaque face mask blocks all necessary visual cues needed to communicate. Helloface has a few variants of facemask but all of it shares the same concept, which is being able to communicate with other users through lip reading. The transparent body of Dean’s facemask enables full facial recognition which allows communication signals such as lip movement and facial expressions visible.

Despite all these features on how innovative and ease it provides to the user, it has its drawbacks-one of which relates to its inability to make it affordable for most individuals. According to indiegogo (n.d.), Helloface has 3 variants which sells by 5 pieces: Transparent Medical Face Mask, P3 mask with filters and P3 mask with filters + cases. The price of these variations is $23, $52 and $58 respectively. According to Pharmex Healthcare (2020), Medical/Surgical facemask is priced under $10. Although it does not have many properties and features as compared to Helloface mask, it is affordable for a large group of individuals in the market. Despite having all these features and good properties, the pricing of the product still holds as an issue for individuals purchasing it.

In a nutshell, Helloface was inspired by the deaf and hearing-impaired communities. It aims to provide transparent face masks to overcome the barriers caused by opaque masks for those who communicate through lip reading and facial recognition. The company's goal is to restore people's ability to interact and express themselves freely. “Our Transparent Medical Face Mask is CE Marked and successfully passed the appropriate tests (filtration, breathability, splashproof, non-toxic, bio-compatible). The P3 Half Mask Respirator has also passed pre-compliance tests and will be CE Marked at the start of 2022.” (indiegogo, n.d). Although having great properties helps the community, lowering the price might attract more individuals.

 

Reference:

University of Hertfordshire. (2022 June 16) Innovative face mask breaks inclusivity barriers. https://www.herts.ac.uk/enterprise-zone/news-and-case-studies/case-studies/business-incubation/innovative-face-mask-breaks inclusivity-barriers

Indiegogo (n.d.) Helloface: CE Marked, Clear Face Masks  https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/helloface-ce-marked-clear-face-masks#/

Pharmex Healthcare, (2020) https://www.medicalsupplies.com.sg/personal-protective-equipment-ppe/2467-assure-surgical-mask-3-ply-earloop-50-pcsbox


 

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