Are heated face masks that can kill viruses the future?
The mask is heated to 70 degrees Celsius using a phone charger, but people are advised not to wear it while plugged in, say researchers from Israel
Israeli researchers say they have invented a reusable face mask that can kill the coronavirus with heat by drawing power from a mobile phone charger.
The disinfecting process takes about 30 minutes — and users should not wear the mask while it is plugged in, says Professor Yair Ein-Eli, who led the research team at Technion University in Haifa.
The new mask has a USB port that connects to a power source such as a standard cellphone charger that heats an inner layer of carbon fibres to 70 degrees Celsius, high enough to kill viruses.
Professor Ein-Eli said disposable masks, in high demand globally during the health crisis, were not economically or environmentally friendly.
