SOLUTION: A new machine was designed for NT$10 million to produce the masks, which would be produced at a slower rate, as some parts need to be added by hand

Taipei Times
Date: Aug 17, 2020
By: Chen Jou-chen and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writer

Joint efforts are under way to produce masks that are transparent around the mouth to help people who read lips to communicate, as well as for those working in the service industry, a mask producer said yesterday.

The Industrial Development Bureau and the Taiwan Textile Research Institute have designed the new masks after being approached by the nonprofit Dandelion Hearing Association, which works with speech and hearing-impaired people, institute research director Huang Po-hsiung (黃博雄) said.

The only transparent protective face coverings on the market are the face shields worn by people working in the food and beverage industry, he said.

While shields are useful in preventing the user from spraying droplets onto food, they cannot prevent the spread of viruses, he said.    [FULL  STORY]