PlayMask
A playful, connected face mask for the pandemic context. Combines protection with an LED light and Bluetooth connection to a phone app, with the core function of "meeting people" in a world where faces are covered. Designed for 3D printing in recycled PET.
Hero render — headband with blue LED on, casting light onto the surface. The front-facing light is the product's "social" signal.
My role
Co-author within a 2 person team
Joint work across research, design, 3D modeling and the full normalized technical dossier (product sheet, views, sections, life cycle, 3-level packaging sheets).
Executive summary
Project developed during the second semester of 2020, deep in the COVID-19 pandemic. The brief asked us to project a product through a lens of production processes, materials and life cycle, and to deliver a complete technical dossier with normalized drawings.
PlayMask is a projective response to mandatory mask-wearing: instead of treating the mask only as protective gear, we turned it into a playful-social device that helps people interact when their faces are partially covered. A front-facing LED + Bluetooth app connectivity allow users to "signal" intentions (interest, openness to chat, etc.) towards other people wearing the same mask.
The product
Renders
3/4 view — white-filament headband + transparent recycled-PET visor. Blue LED on at the front.
Green LED variant — light colors are the app's signaling language: each user broadcasts a different state (interested, available, do-not-disturb).
Detail of the central headband cavity that hosts the LED + Bluetooth module. The light is diffuse to avoid glare.
Isolated visor — thermoformed recycled-PET part. The two top tabs lock into the headband fastener-free.
Exploded view — headband + visor are the only two plastic parts. The visor can be replaced or recycled independently from the headband.
Technical sheet
Product sheet (original document, in Spanish) — general views + attributes + technical data.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Model | PlayMask |
| Category | Playful device (COVID-19 context) |
| Core function | "Meeting people" while wearing a mandatory mask |
| Technology | Bluetooth pairing with a phone app + LED light |
| Materials | PET (recycled visor) + ABS / ABS filament (headband) |
| Sizes | 2 sizes (~100×230 mm · ~200×230 mm) |
| Weight | ~25 g |
| Color | White |
| Status | Available (functional prototype) |
Components
Exploded view + materials/parts table (original document, in Spanish) — 2 plastic parts + 3 electronic parts.
| Part | Qty | Function | Material / Process |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 Headband | 1 | Holds the mask | PET filament — 3D printing |
| A2 Visor | 1 | Protection | Recycled PET |
| I1 LED | 1 | Light up (social signal) | — |
| I2 Bluetooth-battery connector | 1 | Connect | — |
| I3 Bluetooth chip | 1 | Core function | — |
Life-cycle analysis
One of the project's main focuses was the LCA: mapping inputs (resources/materials) and outputs (emissions/waste) at every stage of the product life.
Life-cycle table (original document, in Spanish) — pre-production, production, distribution, use and end of life.
| Stage | Inputs | Outputs |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-production | Recycled PET · PET and ABS filament | Wash water (soap) |
| Production | PET, PET and ABS filament · 3D printing | CO₂ · electricity · wash water |
| Distribution | Fuel · water · truck and electric vehicle | CO₂ · dirty oils · electricity |
| Use | PET and ABS filament · vapor smoothing (acetone) | CO₂ · gases · electricity |
| End of life | PlayMask visor · wash and recycling · electric vehicle | Wash water · electricity |
Technical drawings
General views
General views (front, left side, right side, rear, bottom, top) (original document, in Spanish). Scale 1:1, dimensions in mm.
Section A:A'
Section A:A' (original document, in Spanish) — shows headband thickness (11 mm) and central cavity (37 mm) where the electronic module (LED + Bluetooth) sits.
Packaging
Packaging was documented at 3 levels:
Individual level
Primary packaging (original document, in Spanish) — biodegradable plastic bag + simple corrugated cardboard box. Safety label "FRÁGIL" (FRAGILE).
Intermediate level
Secondary packaging (original document, in Spanish) — 6 individual boxes grouped laterally inside an intermediate box + sealing tape.
(Level 3 — palletization / distribution — is documented in the full technical dossier.)
What I learned
- Designing for an immediate context — projecting a product that responded to a real, recent social situation (the pandemic was just beginning) rather than an abstract scenario.
- Playful product vs. protective product — combining social function with PPE created interesting tensions during the process. Is it acceptable to turn a face mask into a "flirting" device? What's the balance between gravity and humor?
- Life cycle as a project tool — thinking about end-of-life from day one shifted material decisions (recycled PET, not virgin).
- 3-level packaging — second time applying this protocol (first was WAHL Hair Clipper the same year). It started feeling natural.
- Remote teamwork (3 people) — full COVID, everything via Zoom.