With air pollution and risk of airborne pathogens in the built environment, the ability to exercise safely outdoors is increasingly important. Airbender is an air filtration mask optimized for the airflow and moisture management needs of athletes.  It eliminates the bulk and clinical aesthetic of other masks with a lightweight, packable, low profile, gaiter inspired design which ensures mask stability and maximum field of view.

Developed by MS Sports Product Design graduate Oli Bartoszek using a rigorous process of research, ideation, prototyping, and testing, Airbender combines comfort, security, and aesthetic in order to increase the frequency of mask use to protect athletes, especially those most vulnerable with pre-existing conditions, against prolonged exposure to harmful airborne particles.

The development of this product required various wind tunnel testing and human subjects featured in the videos below. Oli’s mentors and advisors during this project included our IHBE’s Mark Fretz, lab collaborator and founding director of the Sports Product Design Graduate Program, Susan Sokolowski, as well as Becky Hurd who was the Director of Material Research at Nike before retiring.

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