News

It's a USB device. No, it's not wireless. No, it's not portable. It's MAD.

Someone actually went to the trouble of trying to find out why this young woman is considering plugging her face mask into her PC's USB comms port. They fed the advertising blurb that comes with the picture into a translator. It has to be said: things rather go down hill from there.

The device is, quite simply, something that clips over your face AND over your fabric face-mask. It has two small fans. How small? Small enough that they can be powered by the USB port on a computer. That's VERY small. You can bet that it makes no difference to the airflow, a fact which obviously has puzzled most commentators.

That hasn't stopped them commenting. By far the most coherent was Coolest Gadgets. There, they actually went for the Google translator and found the output* from that convincing: "Hmmm… I see… no ginger, lots of pollen, people wear masks to avoid the pollen, masks get hot and moist, this cools your face so you can continue your work at the office. Fair enough."

Fair enough? If you say so!

But that was truly lucid by comparison with some. One blogger had no trouble with the idea of a face mask cooler, but felt that tying the user to the computer was evil: "For once, let it be said. A couple of Triple-As would have done just fine." And sod the heavy metal pollution, eh guys...

The guys at Nexus404 will write about any gadget (designer animal head saddles, anyone?) and here's how they greeted the mask: "Available in Japan for 2480 Yen (roughly $20), the Thanko USB Mask is manufactured from silicon and features two fans – one on either side of the mask – that draw in a steady supply of air which is then filtered so as to remove pollutants and allergens."  And if you can survive on as much air as two USB fans can pull through a paper mask, you should apply for a job as an astronaut right away.

As for Ray Hammond's theory that the device is powered by two "convection fans" all I can say is: "Stick to futurology, Ray!"

* Translated: "Because season of the pollen which starts from now on, there is no ginger however the mask is attached, the steaming/evaporation … it does between the mask and the mouth, becomes stifling and, furthermore it becomes unpleasant… the air outside is sent in the mask … oral original displeasure is lightened."

So, here's the real deal. What this is, is an anti-halitosis device. Your face mask gets wet and steamy and basically, it smells. And the fans blow the stink away.

OK?