Gaming firm Razer green-lights high-tech N95 face mask, says report

When gaming lifestyle company Razer showed off its concept for the Project Hazel N95 facial respirator earlier this year at CES , it had been only a few weeks since the first coronavirus vaccines had been OK'd for emergency use. But even now, as thoughts of a post-pandemic future are beginning to take shape, it looks like Razer sees a future for high-tech personal protective equipment.

Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan told Yahoo Finance this week that the Project Hazel mask will become a reality.

"We were thinking, this is a concept project and is this going to be relevant when vaccinations and everything has been rolled out," Tan told the publication. "I think moving forward we decided -- and I can tell you now -- we are going to proceed in making it a reality and ship the smart mask."

"We've realized that even with vaccinations, we are hearing you still have to be masked up because there is still the risk factor that even if you're vaccinated you still need to be incredibly careful," Tan said, and he added that many countries may still be a year or two off from being fully vaccinated.

Tan didn't say when the masks would go into production. Razer didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

The high-tech Project Hazel mask design touted at CES is transparent and features internal LED lights to make your mouth visible in low light. It uses replaceable filters and rechargeable ventilators on its two respiration pods. You can adjust the amount of airflow, and the pods have audio-processing algorithms built in to make your voice sound clearer and more natural.

The mask also features active ventilation and autosterilization; a separate case that can charge it wirelessly; and a UV sterilizer. And the pods sport lighted rings that indicate charge status.

Read more: Razer's Project Hazel is a high-tech N95 mask for COVID-19 times that looks neat too