Producer, rapper, designer, and all-around smart guy, will.i.am believes that since the COVID-19 global pandemic has shackled the world with the fear of infection, people are moving around like characters out of an Octavia Butler novel.
The “Where Is the Love“ rapper shared with the New York Times that the entire globe is “living in sci-fi times.”
He continued by saying that everyday life “is straight out of a friggin’ movie.” Particularly since everyone’s wearing a mask to stay safe.
But he has a solution.
He believes that people can look fly and be safe at the same time, and has created a tech-forward mask that will prove his point.
“We are wearing masks from yesterday’s movie,” Will.I.Am states, “So I wanted to make a mask to fit the era that we’re in.”
The Black Eyed Peas front man’s “smart mask” is going to be called Xupermask.
It will be a gazillion times more protective than the flimsy disposable ones that you get from Walgreen. To manufacture the PPE gear, Will.I.Am enlisted the Honeywell company because of its ground-breaking HEPA filtration system that the rapper will include inside of the silicon mask with mesh fabric lining on the sides.
These will feature a built-in noise-canceling headphone feature, a charging port, and LED lights for people who are out late at night. Not special enough?
Inside of the mask is a dual three-speed fan system to complement the HEPA filters and will have a seven-hour battery to power the features.
The mask is sleekly designed by Jose Fernandez, the man who created the SpaceX’s white suit, and is known for the innovative designs that were used in movies like Black Panther, The Avengers, and X-Men 2. Sporty, it will come in two colorways: white/grey/orange and black/orange.
‘We created XUPERMASK to change the game of our new normal,” says the multi-hyphenate.
“In this new age of style and security,” he further believes, “XUPERMASK is an uncompromising face mask design with high-tech performance for the modern lifestyle.
Yup, this most certainly is not the Walgreens hospital-looking masks. These bad boys are priced at $299 and go on sale on Thursday, April 8.