Face masks go hi-tech amid the Covid-19 pandemic, from one with a translator to another that monitors vital signs

A Japanese start-up has created a face covering that allows people to have a conversation while keeping up to 10 metres apart – and also acts as a translator

A Singaporean face mask has sensors that monitor temperature and blood oxygen levels, while a company in South Korea has made an air purifier mask

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A mask by Japanese company Donut Robotics can translate Japanese into other languages. Photo: AFP

Published: 12:15pm, 23 Oct 2020Updated: 12:15pm, 23 Oct 2020

An unusual range of hi-tech face coverings, including ones that monitor vital signs, filter filthy air or even translate languages, has been spawned by the boom in mask-wearing amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Tech companies and researchers are rolling out weird and wonderful models to both guard against infection and cash in on a growing trend.

One of the wackiest comes from Japan, where start-up Donut Robotics has created a face covering that helps users adhere to social distancing and also acts as a translator.

The “C-Face” mask works by sending a wearer’s speech to a smartphone via an app, and allows people to have a conversation while keeping up to 10 metres (32 feet) apart.

Start-up Donut Robotics has created a face covering that helps users adhere to social distancing and also acts as a translator. Photo: AFP

“Despite the coronavirus, we sometimes need to meet directly with each other,” says Donut Robotics chief executive Taisuke Ono.