First Of Its Kind COVID-19 Facemask Uses Engineering Genius To Hack 100 Years Of PPE Stagnation

DENVER, Aug. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A revolutionary protective mask using ultraviolet light to kill germs while leaving the face uncovered is on the way from groundbreaking engineers at Pavvana, a startup dedicated to disrupting 100 years of design stagnation to help fight COVID-19.

Pavvana's next-generation, patent-pending AirShield uses a curtain of air washed through UV-C sterilizing light to protect your personal space at the same time it buffers others from you, all while leaving your face open for work, play and family time. 

The Pavvana AirShield, worn on the forehead and consisting of UV-C light, air baffles, a rechargeable battery-powered fan and a head strap, is designed to kill 99.99% of airborne viruses and bacteria as you breathe.

The AirShield is the first UV-C powered air shield produced for a mask, potentially replacing cloth and fabric-based face protections that haven't changed in decades. With a testing and production fundraising site on Indiegogo.com, Pavvana is breaking up more than a century of stasis in personal protection design and engineering. 

"We're excited and honored to bring this innovative, effective and comfortable product out into the world where it belongs," said Pavvana CEO Allbriton Robbins, a longtime designer for Fortune 500 firms. "It's a game-changer at a time when the daily routines of hundreds of millions of people have been torn up by a dangerous virus. We can help." 

The concept of air curtain technology to prevent COVID-19 community spread was proven by scientists at CERN, the European scientific agency, and can be reviewed here: https://www.mdpi.com/2624-8174/2/3/18. The real-time UV-C sterilization takes .3 seconds, as shown here: https://aem.asm.org/content/73/18/5760. The Pavvana technology uses non-ozone producing

UV-C bulbs, and are encased so that no light escapes. 

Pavvana co-creator Jack Karavich, previously the Chief Digital Architect for Honeywell, said this first-time use of a UV-C and air curtain makes AirShield the international leader in bringing personal protection into the 21^st Century. 

"There's nothing like it in the world of safety and smart design, and we're bringing the kind of human-centered engineering that consumers demand from all their favorite products," Karavich said. 

The AirShield's rechargeable lithium ion battery can provide up to eight hours of comfortable protection, and is designed with everything from the conference room to the yoga room in mind. There's nothing to clean or replace, unlike other PPE products. 

AirShields are available for a discount on Indiegogo at $120 each, or $400 for a package of four. Funds raised through the Indiegogo round will be employed for third-party efficacy testing and production ramp-up, with an early winter delivery. 

More information about Pavvana's AirShield technology can be found at https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/world-s-first-open-face-mask-uv-c-air-curtain#/. Allbriton Robbins, Jack Karavich and others are available for interviews. 

SOURCE Pavvana AirShield