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A mask charger for the home

Laurien

A household product concept for recharging mask filters, developed alongside electrostatic-filtration research.

Many non-woven masks use electrostatic charge in their polypropylene fibres, alongside physical filtration, to capture fine airborne particles. Moisture from use and washing can reduce this charge and weaken filtration.

Laurien explores a way to recharge suitable mask filters after washing and thorough drying. It builds on research that recovered filtration performance in tested polypropylene filters, bringing this approach into a compact household product concept.

The goal is to make better use of existing masks when supplies are under pressure, as they were during COVID-19, while reducing disposable waste and household spending on replacement masks.

Recharging is separate from disinfection and does not repair damaged filter material.

Discipline
Product design · Interaction
Project type
Household concept · Research demonstrator
Institution
Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo
Research publication
Heliyon · 2023 · Co-author
White Laurien mask-charger concept on a wooden cabinet
Laurien household concept.

A place in the daily routine

Laurien explores how a device for recharging non-woven masks could fit into everyday life. The starting point is the routine of coming home and preparing to leave again: put the mask inside, close the lid, and collect it after charging. A compact form allows the device to sit on a cabinet or table, close to where this routine takes place.

Laurien device shown open on a wooden cabinet
Open lid and mask tray.

Open, place, close

The interaction centers on a broad hinged lid and a shallow tray. Opening the lid gives direct access to the mask. When closed, the device has a simple, uncluttered exterior.

Laurien mask-recharger form and handling photographs
Placing and collecting a mask.

Building the research demonstrator

The experimental work used a compact desktop demonstrator with a rectangular housing, lid and switch. It provided a working setup for mask charging, while Laurien developed the household form and use experience.

Laurien functional demonstrator on a workbench
Desktop demonstrator for the mask-charging experiments.

Laurien in use

Watch the household product film and the functional prototype demonstration.

Household concept film.
Functional prototype demonstration.

Publication and press

I contributed to the experiments and co-authored Development of a desktop mask charger, published in Heliyon in 2023. The research was carried out at the University of Tokyo’s Institute of Industrial Science in collaboration with DLX Design Lab.

The university announcement and 2023 press reports introduce the desktop device. The ANN report below covers the earlier N95 recharging research from 2020, which preceded the Laurien household concept.

Heliyon · 7 April 2023

Development of a desktop mask charger. My contribution to this co-authored paper was experimental work.

The University of Tokyo · 26 April 2023

Institute of Industrial Science announcement of the desktop mask charger developed with DLX Design Lab.

PC Watch / Impress · 27 April 2023

The desktop prototype and research into electrostatic mask charging.

TV Asahi / ANN · 18 December 2020

Earlier N95 recharging research, before the desktop device and Laurien household concept.

TV Asahi / ANN · 18 December 2020. Earlier N95 recharging research. Watch on YouTube ↗
Heliyon · 2023-04-07Heliyon · Open-access full textThe University of Tokyo, Institute of Industrial Science · 2023-04-26PC Watch / Impress · 2023-04-27TV Asahi / ANN · 2020-12-18

Research collaboration at the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, with DLX Design Lab. Muhang Li co-authored Development of a desktop mask charger (Heliyon, 2023) and contributed to the experiments.

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