Born a few weeks ago, Maskin, a company with roots among UPF students of engineering and health sciences has created a unique transparent mask, sealed with ultrasound and state-of-the-art technology.

The idea arose after the group behind it participated, in April 2020, in the Enginy contra la covid-19 awards, a joint initiative launched by the UPF Department of Information and Communication Technologies (DTIC) and the UPF Board of Trustees to support student projects developing tools and protocols to help citizens in the global fight against the spread of coronavirus.

Álvaro Martínez Marco, a third-year student on the bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering, and Nadia Pérez Bernal, also in her third year of the bachelor’s degree in Medicine, explain how the process of creating the transparent mask evolved and where they are currently regarding marketing the product.

- How did the idea come up? What was your motivation to start this project?

It was March and under strict lockdown measures, UPF, at the initiative of professor Antoni Ivorra of the Department of Information and Communication Technologies (DTIC), the UPF Board of Trustees and other entities organized the Enginy contra la covid awards, an opportunity for us students to form multidisciplinary teams and provide alternative solutions that might alleviate the crisis caused by the pandemic.

One of the categories of the competition was face protection, and that was when I contacted a friend of mine doing medicine and I proposed developing a project that could be ground-breaking. It didn’t take much to realize the huge problem of communicating with an item that covered more than half the face.

The main motivation was to prove to ourselves that we could work under pressure in an unprecedented context and help society.

- Who belongs to the team developing MASKIN?

The two principal members of the group are Álvaro Martínez, a third-year student on the bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering, and Nadia Pérez, who is doing her third year of the bachelor’s degree in Medicine. After partnering up, we looked to complete the team with Francesco de Viu and Edgar Fabregat, classmates of Álvaro’s. Between the four of us we started the first stage of the competition, which we won and we went through to the finals. We expanded the team to make it more multidisciplinary with students of product engineering, industrial design and marketing.

After winning the prize, we decided to continue developing the product in order to launch it on the market

After winning the prize, we decided to continue developing the product in order to launch it on the market. This decision came with a restructuring of the team, making six of us: Juan Ortega, Óscar Oviedo, Víctor Freire, Paula Sánchez, Nadia Bernat and Álvaro Martínez.

Our ages range from 19 to 28 years, we are all studying a bachelor’s degree or a postgrad, and we even combine it with jobs. However, a few weeks ago the six of us set up a company, so for us, MASKIN is like being blood-related in the sense of work and between us like a family.

- Your team comes from different areas (engineering, design...). How has this multidisciplinary element helped when carrying out the project?

Complementing our knowledge and skills in the different fields, of medicine, biomedical engineering, industrial engineering, design and marketing, has enabled us to find a product that is aesthetic, safe, biofriendly, committed to all sectors of society and offering total guarantees.

- What were the main challenges to overcome?

Remote organization, the comfort and adaptability of the mask to the face, finding suitable materials to prevent the screen from fogging up, the correct curvature, breathability through the sides, and achieving sufficient airtightness to prevent unnecessary air leaks.

- What are the main advantages of your product compared to traditional masks?

It is the first totally airtight mask in history, sealed by ultrasound, comprising two different phases of materials: breathable antibacterial neoprene with 97% filtration efficiency and close to 100% adaptability to the face. The screen has anti-fogging properties and so allows wearing glasses and seeing the mouth of the person you’re talking to. In addition, it includes the possibility of customization for companies.

It is the first totally airtight mask in history, sealed by ultrasound, comprising two different phases of materials: breathable antibacterial neoprene with 97% filtration efficiency and close to 100% adaptability to the face

This, coupled with the fact that it was the work of ten months by a high-tech team, make MASKIN more than ready to oust its competitors in the market.

- You entered the UPF’s Enginy contra la covid competition. How did that help you develop the project?

We could say that the awards are the reason for our existence today. They provided us with a voice, the motivation, the ideal time and place for us to decide to break away for a while (which ended up being months) from the purely academic environment.

- Besides UPF, have you received grants or other support?

Unfortunately we have not been able to find institutional support beyond what Pompeu Fabra University has offered us. However, we are grateful to UPF for putting us in contact with TheCollider OnCampus, an organization that boosted and speeded up our startup for three months until positioning it definitively in the market.

Regarding capital investment to buy materials, national and European standardization, design, trademark and process patent, incorporating the company and drawing up company the statutes, the six of us have had to cover these costs.

- You have just started marketing. How is the market receiving your product?

Lots of companies, clinics, private customers and  healthcare distributors have shown great interest in getting hold of the first batch of units.

Our proposal is clear: to avoid the principle of “disposable” masks. It’s this kind of initiative that the environment will be grateful for 

- What impact do MASKIN masks have for the environment?

Our proposal is clear: to avoid the principle of “disposable” masks. It’s this kind of initiative that the environment will be grateful for, especially our oceans.

- Are these masks designed for a specific sector or are they for everyone?

They are inclusive in the broadest sense of the word. They target all areas: from the academic, for teachers who need to communicate more effectively with their students, office workers, entrepreneurs, speakers, lecturers, students, salespeople, sportspeople, the deaf and dumb, guests and stewards...

- Are you planning to develop more products related to covid-19?

That’s right! In fact, what we are working on right now is to expand the MASKIN brand beyond a single product. Hence we are designing a high quality chamois to better prevent glasses and all kinds of lenses from fogging up, and even the MASKIN screen, if the user generates large quantities of exhaled breath that could affect its 100% transparent visibility.