{"id":3933,"date":"2020-07-19T14:12:27","date_gmt":"2020-07-19T07:12:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/illume-emag.com\/?p=3933"},"modified":"2020-07-20T14:16:41","modified_gmt":"2020-07-20T07:16:41","slug":"japanese-startup-creates-connected-face-mask-coronavirus-new-normal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lavyon.com\/en\/japanese-startup-creates-connected-face-mask-coronavirus-new-normal\/","title":{"rendered":"Japanese startup creates ‘connected’ face mask for coronavirus new normal"},"content":{"rendered":"

As face coverings become the norm amid the coronavirus pandemic, Japanese startup Donut Robotics has developed an internet-connected \u201csmart mask\u201d that can transmit messages and translate from Japanese into eight other languages.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"
Japanese startup Donut Robotics’ CEO Taisuke Ono wears a c-mask as he demonstrates the connected face masks messaging function with his chief engineer, Takafumi Okabe, during a demonstration in Tokyo on Tuesday. | REUTERS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The white plastic c-mask fits over standard face masks and connects via Bluetooth to a smartphone and tablet application that can transcribe speech into text messages, make calls, or amplify the mask wearer\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe worked hard for years to develop a robot and we have used that technology to create a product that responds to how the coronavirus has reshaped society,\u201d said Taisuke Ono, the chief executive of Donut Robotics.<\/p>\n

Donut Robotics\u2019 engineers came up with the idea for the mask as they searched for a product to help the company survive the pandemic. When the coronavirus struck, it had just secured a contract to supply robot guides and translators to Tokyo\u2019s Haneda Airport, a product that faces an uncertain future after the collapse of air travel.<\/p>\n

Donut Robotics\u2019 first 5,000 c-masks will be shipped to buyers in Japan starting in September, with Ono looking to sell in China, the United States and Europe, too. There has been strong interest, he said.<\/p>\n

At about $40 per mask, Donut Robotics is aiming at a mass market that did not exist until a few months ago. One aim, he said, is to generate revenue from subscriber services offered via an app that users will download.<\/p>\n

Donut Robotics built a prototype connected mask within a month by adapting translation software developed for its robot and a mask design that one of the company\u2019s engineers, Shunsuke Fujibayashi, created four years ago for a student project to interpret speech by mapping face muscles.<\/p>\n

Ono raised \u00a528 million ($260,000) for development by selling Donut Robotics shares through Japanese crowdfunding site Fundinno.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe raised our initial target of \u00a57 million within three minutes and stopped after 37 minutes when we had reached \u00a528 million,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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Japanese startup Donut Robotics\u2019 c-mask and its mobile phone application | REUTERS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As face coverings become the norm amid the coronavirus pandemic, Japanese startup Donut Robotics has developed an internet-connected \u201csmart mask\u201d that can transmit messages and translate from Japanese into eight other languages. The white plastic c-mask fits over standard face masks and connects via Bluetooth to a smartphone and tablet application that can transcribe speech […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3934,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[761],"tags":[2157,1361,1123],"class_list":{"0":"post-3933","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-celebrity-buzz","8":"tag-c-masks","9":"tag-coronavirrus-en","10":"tag-covid-19"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lavyon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3933","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lavyon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lavyon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lavyon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lavyon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3933"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lavyon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3933\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lavyon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lavyon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3933"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lavyon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3933"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lavyon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3933"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}