Finally, a face mask you don’t have to take off to eat. Israeli inventor Asaf Gitelis is behind the coronavirus-inspired face mask that allows you to open and close the mask with minimal effort. By squeezing a lever or pushing a button, a small slit in the front of the mask opens so the wearer can eat without exposing their face, reports Today.
The innovation is just in time for people who are willing to do anything to get back to the normalcy of eating in public again. Inventors say the mask lets you dine out with family and friends without taking it off, an added layer of precaution amid the coronavirus pandemic.
On Tuesday, the inventor’s father, Meir Gitelis, demonstrated how the mask works on NBC News’ Dallas affiliate. Viewers were able to watch him squeeze the lever to sample his food, and for the most part, Gitelis was able to easily open and close the mask between each bite for solid foods to pass through. But, there was a bit of a challenge when it came to messier foods like spaghetti and ice cream. So much for baby back ribs!
There are mixed reviews on the invention; some horrified while others found humor in it.
One tweeter said, “If that’s what you have to do to enjoy a dinner at a restaurant, then I’ll keep on doing drive-thru and curbside delivery.”
“We understood that people want to go to restaurants and on planes and they need to eat,” Asaf Gitelis, Vice President of Avtipus Patents and Inventions (the company behind the mask), told Today food. “When the coronavirus problem appeared, our engineer found a simple solution for eating in public places.”
And if the lever solution isn’t fancy enough for you, the company has two other versions that may suit you better. The second option operates with a mechanical remote, while the third has a built-in optical sensor that can tell when the fork is approaching the mask and will open and close using a small motor.
It will be interesting to see all the new inventions that will be made to help us adjust to the change of times, given the possibility that the coronavirus will linger.
Would you be willing to wear this mask if it meant you could eat out again?
