FEBRUARY 2021 PCWorld 43something designed from the
ground up for the new normal,”
said Mike Scharnikow, a senior
marketing manager at Razer.
That mask is known as Project
Hazel, a prototype that Razer
hasn’t definitely committed to
manufacture quite yet—but does
have prototypes that were shown
on a Razer presentation
livestreamed from CES.
Scharnikow called it “the world’s
smartest mask,” one designed to
address the increased emphasis
on hygiene and the
environmental issues of
disposing masks, while also enhancing the
features of a multi-use personal face covering.
Razer also showed off Project Brooklyn, a
conceptual gaming chair with a retractable
panoramic screen that folds back into the
chair itself. The chair features a tray to hold a
console or a laptop, as well as cubbies built
into the armrest to hold peripherals.
PROJECT HAZEL: RAZER’S
RGB N95 MASK FOR THE
NEW NORMAL
The recyclable Project Hazel mask features a
transparent external face shield as well as a
flexible silicone lining that conforms to the
user’s face and mouth. On each side of the
face, a pair of replaceable N95 “smart pods”
will provide filtration capabilities. Razer
designed the vents as an active ventilation
systems, with the ability to control the airflow
in and out of the mask, Scharnikow said.
And it’s the transparent face shield that
points to one of the problems that Razer is
trying to solve: the limits on social interaction
of wearing a mask. The transparent face shield
was designed to allow people you’re talking
with to be able to see your facial expression,
as well as to allow those who can read lips to
be able to see your mouth. Razer has also
gone further: inside the mask, subtle LED
lights illuminate your mouth at night, too.
Did Razer stop there? Oh no. “One of the
biggest issues we also know beyond the
visual piece with wearing a mask is the
muffled talking and the limits on
communication this creates,” ScharnikowRazer’s Project Brooklyn gaming chair.