Spectrum News: UC students create 3D-printed face masks
UC professor Sam Anand's students respond to shortage of COVID-19 personal protective equipment
Spectrum News 1 talked to University of Cincinnati students about the phone app they are developing that will convert a selfie into a custom 3D-printed face mask to protect them during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Students in UC College of Engineering and Applied Science professor Sam Anand's lab responded to a national shortage of personal protective equipment by designing their own custom face masks that can be printed on any 3D printer. A filter snaps on the front of the form-fitting mask, ensuring a leak-proof seal, particularly around the cheeks and nose where air sometimes can escape from cloth masks.
Even most surgical masks do not provide a custom fit, engineering student Haozhi "John" Zhang told Spectrum News.
Engineering student Shriya Patil, who worked on the mask design in UC's Siemens Simulation Technology Center directed by Anand. Once the smart phone app is ready, Anand will post it for free public use on the center's website.
Patil said some masks tend to slip down your face as you talk, but that doesn't happen with their custom face masks.
"If I laugh, it's not like there is air leaking around my face," she said. "It's made by you, meant for you and only for you."
UC students refined their face-mask design over various iterations. Photo/Ravenna Rutledge/UC Creative + Brand
Related Stories
Sugar overload killing hearts
November 10, 2025
Two in five people will be told they have diabetes during their lifetime. And people who have diabetes are twice as likely to develop heart disease. One of the deadliest dangers? Diabetic cardiomyopathy. But groundbreaking University of Cincinnati research hopes to stop and even reverse the damage before it’s too late.
Is going nuclear the solution to Ohio’s energy costs?
November 10, 2025
The Ohio Capital Journal recently reported that as energy prices continue to climb, economists are weighing the benefits of going nuclear to curb costs. The publication dove into a Scioto Analysis survey of 18 economists to weigh the pros and cons of nuclear energy. One economist featured was Iryna Topolyan, PhD, professor of economics at the Carl H. Lindner College of Business.
App turns smartwatch into detector of structural heart disease
November 10, 2025
An app that uses an AI model to read a single-lead ECG from a smartwatch can detect structural heart disease, researchers reported at the 2025 Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association. Although the technology requires further validation, researchers said it could help improve the identification of patients with heart failure, valvular conditions and left ventricular hypertrophy before they become symptomatic, which could improve the prognosis for people with these conditions.