바이오스펙테이터

by Jongwon Jang

▲한대익 쉐마 대표가 29일 강남구 TIPS타운에서 개발한 스마트마스크와 필터를 소개하고 있다.

A domestic startup company in Kore successfully developed an innovative mask product and is ready for mass production. This mask product has fine dust-blocking, anti-bacterial, anti-virus, and deodorizing effects and overcomes the existing products' shortcomings such as uncomfortable intake and exhaust, and air leakage.

CEO Daniel Daeick Han of SHEMA said, "We have already completed the development of 'Smart Mask 4.0,' in which hepa H11 (a dust collection efficiency of more than 95%) filters are applied to ordinary mask products, and plan to release the first commercial batch of the product in March.

Shema is a research company spun off in 2016 from the Center for Integrated Smart Sensors of the Global Frontier Project, which was launched by the Korean government in 2010. CEO Daniel Daeick Han, who had worked as a professor of Yanbian University of Science & Technology, China and had participated in the Global Frontier Project, founded the company to complete the development of the mask product.

The first feature of Shema's smart mask is a comfortable intake and exhaust through an exhaust valve. If an ordinary mask has a higher filtration capacity, it tends to make breathing more uncomfortable. CEO Han said, "Regular masks do not provide comfortable wearing experiences because of poor intake and exhaust. It is because various harmful gases including carbon dioxide emitted from the body were not discharged smoothly.

The second feature is the application of hepa H11 filters with a 3-D structure of an air cleaner to a mask. It is the core filter with fine dust-blocking, anti-bacterial, anti-virus, and deodorizing effects. Here, it embodies the alloy-nano technology transferred from the Center for Integrated Smart Sensors. In case of ordinary masks, their particle collection efficiency can be affected by moisture, but Shema applies technology that can overcome this problem.

CEO Han said, "We have proven the product's antimicrobial effects against harmful bacteria such as super bacteria and pneumococci, as well as its antiviral effects against norovirus and influenza virus, a quality evaluation institute, and plans to acquire domestic certificates for mask products such as KF94 (an average 94% filtration of particulate matter of 0.4µm in diameter) and KF99 certificates (Korean standards for masks) through domestic clinal trials.

The third feature is that the product is disposable for a single use but semi-permanent. The mask is washable and only the filter has to be replaced (at an interval of about 10 days. Shema designed a mask fit with a 3D structure to the face of Asian people and secure the most optimal aerodynamic design through face fitting and dust blocking tests.

Shema will launch the product in March. The company plans to release men's, women's and children's mask products suitable for Asian people. However, the price is much higher than ordinary masks, which is a problem to overcome. Considering that the product has an outstanding performance compared to the existing masks and is semi-permanent and that air pollution problem is getting more serious and spreading infectious diseases in Asia and beyond, the price might be reasonable.

CEO Han added, "Our ultimate goal is to add a sensor function to our mask product, to build big data, and to expand our business to diagnosis field in order to realize a genuine smart mask."