A smart mask was created by the Japanese startup Donut Robotics. The idea started when an opportunity was spotted as the coronavirus pandemic made face masks a daily need for everyone. A high-tech smart mask was upgraded to standard face coverings to help people communicate in the language they need to speak. This makes it easy for people to follow social distancing. 

The C-face smart mask can amplify the wearer's voice, transcribe dictation, and most impressively translate speech into eight different languages. The smart mask can do it in conjunction with an app. Reportedly, the C-Mask can also be used to set up online meetings, take notes, and book medical appointments. 

Donut Robotic had a first developed translation software for a robot they called "Cinnamon." The first project was put on hold when the pandemic hit. The team engineers came up with an idea to use the software they first created in a face mask, as per CNN. 

The CEO Taisuke Ono explained that the design was made with cutouts on the front part to ensure breathability. The mask does not protect against the COVID-19 virus but designed to wear over a standard face mask.

C-Mask is made up of white plastic and silicone with an embedded microphone to connect to the wearer's smartphone through Bluetooth. The system can translate between Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Chinese, Indonesian, Spanish, French, and English.

Smart Mask that Translates into Eight Languages Invented by a Japanese Startup Donut Robotics
(Photo : Youtube Screenshot/ Reuters)
As face coverings become the norm amid the coronavirus pandemic, Japanese startup Donut Robotics has developed an internet-connected "smart mask" that can transmit messages and translate from Japanese into eight other languages.

Ono said that the Bluetooth chip of the C-Mask could connect to smartphones up to 10 meters away. The co-founder of Donut Robotics hopes to make social distancing easier to apply in offices and hospitals by providing excellent communication.  

As per News 18, the smart mask will be unveiled in Japan in September. To attract more buyers, the cost of the smart C-Mask costs 3,980 Yen or $40 to $50 only. 

Ono said that the first wave of distribution of 5,000 to 10,000 masks would be available by December. The company will not expand to other countries until April 2021. 

However, Donut Robotics still aims to sell the mask in Europe, China, and the U.S eventually as the coronavirus pandemic continues. The company targets the release of more augmented and virtual reality features soon to add to the abilities of the C-Mask.

Donut Robotics: the Japanese Robotic startup

The company Donut Robotic only started in a garage in Kitakyushu City in 2014. Taisuke Ono and engineer Takafumi Okabe co-founded the company intending to change the world using small and mobile communication robots

The two ventured capital investments and applied to Haneda Robotic Lab. The Haneda Robotic Lab is a company that provides services for the visitors of Haneda Airport in Tokyo. Haneda Robotics Lab spokesperson stated that robots fill the needs of Japan in the workforce as it becomes harder to recruit individual staff.

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