AIRXÔM's mask claims to deactivate viruses at CES 2023

At CES 2023, AIRXÔM has debuted the final version of a face mask that claims to deactivate viruses, bacteria, and pollutants on contact. While medical and surgical face masks can protect against viruses' spread and exposure, AIRXÔM will apparently destroy viruses while filtering them.

According to Reviewed’s Chief Scientist Dave Ellerby, the tech behind this mask holds up: “The AIRXÔM is unusual as it incorporates features you typically only see in room-size air purifiers into a mask.”

The mask incorporates three different ways of stopping pollutants. The mesh fabric traps particles while the metal nanoparticles threaded into the mask work to kill bacteria and viruses. The photocatalytic layer of the mask uses UVA-activated titanium dioxide to accelerate the antiviral properties of the titanium dioxide. In another layer, there are cooper particles which have shown to be anti-viral and could potentially destroy viruses.

Ellerby notes that by combining multiple technologies into a single, small package, the AIRXÔM could stop or destroy the most worrying forms of airborne pollution.

The mask wears like a standard medical mask covering the nose and mouth. It is heavier than your traditional mask as it weighs 160 grams which is about a third of a pound. Thanks to the antiviral properties incorporated into the design of the mask, it has a lifespan of about three years. AIRXÔM has a recycling program in place with the hope of reducing waste at the end of the mask's lifespan.

The AIRXÔM mask has yet to hit the market but the company expects it to be available through its website in late 2023. The mask is priced at 480 euros or around $510 USD.