A graduate of Industrial Design, Ifedayo Ojo, led a team of young Nigerians in a global competition for the design of innovative facemask. His team was shortlisted from over 1000 others from around the world, including the John Hopkins University. The facemask, Naija Force Mask, won the Global Appeal category with a grant of $250,000. Seun Akioye writes
Ifedayo Ojo, a graduate of Industrial Design, has created a facemask many Nigerians would love. It is a facemask that answers all the questions Nigerians asked about the type of facemask that is suitable for them. He calls it the Naija Force Mask.
The mask allows you to breathe and it is flexible and adaptable. It also allows you to “blow a kiss,” take a kiss and it is an answer to the party-loving Nigerian because it is as light as a feather “you won’t feel you are wearing anything.”
And the best news is that the mask has just won a $250,000 grant in a competition which included an array of global talents from some of the world’s most prestigious institution including John Hopkins University and Michigan Institute of Technology (MIT).
“It felt unreal, ”Ifedayo said recalling when he first heard he had won the “Mask Appeal “category and the prize that comes with it. “ When I heard the announcement as a category winner, I was caught somewhere between shock and excitement. I couldn’t really place the feeling because it felt unreal,” he said.
He got to know about the global design competition through a social media post and he quickly swung into action, setting up a team with his two friends and working on a fitting ‘Naija design.’
“Coincidentally, at that time, I was working on a concept around redesigning face masks and face shields. I was doing that because shortly after the lockdown was eased in Nigeria, people couldn’t wait to start socialising, go to ‘owanbes’ and other functions, so much so that many resorted to face shield in place of face mask.
I was able to understand from the public’s point of view that they craved the joy of being able to reveal their smiles again, especially, at parties and other social functions.
This is where industrial design comes in, observing problems and tinkering innovative ways to solve these problems on a mass scale. I began to think of a way to combine face shields and facemasks.
“So, when I saw the post on Instagram, it was a situation of opportunity meeting preparation, I entered for it and luckily for me, I met the participation criteria and most of the things they required were things I was already incorporating in my own concept. All I needed to do was to tweak and fine-tune my concept to fit their guidelines that was how I got on the XPRIZE Next-Gen Mask Challenge.”
The competition, XPRIZE NEXT-GEN Mask Challenge was initiated by the XPRIZE Foundation which crowdsource solutions through science and technology competition to contribute to scientific breakthroughs. It was the company that revolutionalised the private space industry with the $10m Ansari XPRIZE in 2004. The company has also partnered with Elon Musk for the biggest prize completion: $100m for carbon removal.
A long journey to success
The Naija team faced many limitations competing with global icons. “I felt initially that we didn’t stand any chance,” Ifedayo said of his initial fears. “The process was a rigorous but interesting one. Before teams were shortlisted, there were about 1000 teams from across the world.
“So, for me in Nigeria here, I had to form and lead a team which included Samuel Akinola and Arotiba Ayobami. The process was quite tedious because I had to juggle that with my day job. At that time of the contest, Nigerian public universities were on an industrial strike and the country was on a lockdown. We had little or no access to laboratories for research because the competition relied hugely on research and development.
“I had to do all this from the confine of my room. I quickly set up a room studio and I had to improvise for a lot. Thankful, I have a couple of resources here and there in terms of the hardware, 2D and 3D printers and generator to power them. Also, on weekends, I’d go to the sculptors to make models, then pay for laboratory space to try out things. There was a time I wanted to do a particular test that needed an industrial pressure machine, so I had to rent vacuum cleaners to improvise for suction pressure,” he recalled.
The team’s hard work paid off and the mask that came up is a surgical-grade nose mask that addresses a lot of the problems people have with face mask wearing. “People complained that face masks fogged their glasses, facial expressions, face masks aren’t inclusive for people who can’t hear. Also for reusability, it’s not sustainable enough, most times people spend a lot of money on a disposable face mask and the ones that are reusable have the challenges stated earlier.
“Those masks weren’t comfortable, you can’t exercise in them. Our mask brings back the joy of blowing a kiss, it is very efficient, you don’t have to always discard a face mask and buy a new one, you can wash it in soap and water. It is breathable with efficient filtration. It is also designed to be as light as a feather, it functions as a surgical grade face mask, industrial workers can use it, medical doctors can use it and every other person can use it. ”Ifedayo said.
The next step
So what is the next step for Naija Force facemask? “As I speak to you, we are currently in the process of further research and development to refine the mask, as it is, we need it to pass FDA approval to make the mask fit for use.
“We are working with industry professionals and trying to make sure that while the pandemic is still on, that the mask gets to the market on time. From a business point of view, we stand a great chance of making good circulations when the demand is high.
“Although the mask is still relevant beyond the COVID-19 pandemic because it helps with respiratory diseases which without being negative, will still be prevalent after COVID. Surgeons, nurses and industrial workers will still need it,”Ifedayo said.
Naija Force mask’s triumph in a global competition in spite of limitations is a mark of the genius in Nigerian youths, this Ifedayo and his team has learnt. “Never give up no matter what,” he said. Faced with a daunting challenge, the team turned to the distinctive Nigerian power to triumph.
Ifedayo: “As a young Nigerian, it is discouraging to see that there are so many potentials in the Country and you’re limited only by government policies and geography. They youth are not lazy, they just need government to support them.
“Gone are the days when people tell you something is impossible. The world is now smaller than it used to be and through the internet, you can keep up with thought leaders, industry experts and mentors and stay up to date with the latest in your area of choice.”
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