Focusing on the problem of ear pain caused by wearing masks for long hours every day to prevent infections, we designed and developed an original mask band that is discreet and does not cause ear pain, utilizing the digital fabrication equipment at the university’s digital fabrication facility. The mask band has the following features
- Easy to wear with the mask
- Less wearing sensation and no tightness
- Can be customized by adjusting to the size that best suits you.
This mask band is produced by cutting the external shape using a laser cutting machine and laser engraving it. The material used is EVA, which has excellent flexibility and elasticity and can be disinfected and washed with water. In the development process, the software design was materialized using digital machine tools, and the prototyping process was repeated many times to verify the actual product by touching it, resulting in a quick trial-and-error process unique to digital fabrication. The mask bands were distributed to participants at a workshop held at the open campus on August 7-8, 2021.