Style
Japan just out-Japan'd itself with this LED face mask
COVID-19 isn't going anywhere, and this ware will let everyone know you're doing your part to fight it.
Japan, ever the source for stuff so needlessly cool, has produced the most extra face mask we've seen to date.
The RGB LED-enabled Illumi-On "Twinkling Mouth Cover" comes from Spec Computer, a Japanese company that usually makes smartphone accessories. But in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Spec has applied its technological prowess to an item that was just fine being analog.
This LED-illuminated face mask comes in black or white and is capable of displaying seven colors: red, yellow, green, blue, cyan, purple, and white. Wearers — or users? — can program the mask to cycle through each color or choose from one of three other patterns, including a strobe effect. And even though Spec is careful to note its Illumi-On isn't medical grade, it also comes with a disposable PM 2.5 filter.
It comes with a controller — The LED lights are managed by a small controller, which can be stashed in a rubber storage pocket attached to the mask — because Japanese design thinks of everything. Its battery life is approximately 10.5 hours for a single color display, and 7.5 hours for any of the programmed patterns. Charging is done through a Micro USB cable, which is included with purchase.
The mask also has multiple points for adjustment, with rubber ear straps and a nose wire. Because it's electronic, the mask cannot be washed — making the filters all the more important.
Everything about the mask is a delight, besides the product description when read with American eyes. Spec recommends it for clubs, festivals, and concerts — all fantasies in this pandemic-plagued country. I would love to pop a molly, get sweaty, and stare slack-jawed at someone wearing this mask at a rave. But no, a bunch of dipshits had to get all 'Murica and turn not wearing a mask into a statement of gross individualism.
Surprisingly cheap — How much would you shell out for this dummy bright mask? $100? That would seem reasonable to me, an unreasonable person, but the Illumi-On is priced at ~$28. The price will go up a bit when you enlist a proxy to get this bad boy stateside, but if you purchase through Yahoo! Japan it'll make the process easier.
Shipping won't begin until September 11, but it's not like we'll be raving over here in the states before then anyway.
