COURTESY OF TEAM POLAIR
The team of undergraduates designed their winning face mask with help from the Whiting School of Engineering and industry sponsors.
Team Polair, a Hopkins team of 25 undergraduate Biomedical Engineering students, took runner-up in the XPRIZE Next-Gen Mask Challenge, winning $250,000 for the design of a clear, adaptable face mask. The four-month international contest, sponsored by California nonprofit organization XPRIZE, challenged participants to design face masks that are user-friendly and safe for the environment.
For months, the team worked on developing their prototype while collaborating with Honeywell. Team Polair focused on adaptability, sustainability and comfort as they sought to create a mask that people would want to wear.