Boston, Massachusetts, USA
David Edwards from Harvard University in collaboration with designers Tom Devlin and Rachel Field of Devlin Design create the new FEND Mister for Boston manufacturer Sensory Cloud to improve airway hygiene by reducing respiratory droplets potentially containing airborne pathogens such as COVID-19.
The FEND Mister’s design has been awarded a 2021 Good Design Award by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
COVID-19 has made us all acutely aware of the dangers in the air around us. With every breath, we generate tiny sub-micron size droplets in our airways.
Breathing in can carry contaminants deep into our lungs where there are few defenses and breathing out will expel them to the outside air that others will breathe.
The FEND Mister delivers a calcium-enriched nasal saline mist that significantly cleans our airways of these small respiratory particles.
Tilt the mister and inhale the salty mist deeply through the nose.
As the salts reach the upper airways, they act on the mucosal lining, preventing particle formation and helping mucus clear inhaled contaminants.
The effect can last for up to six hours and can reduce exhaled particles by up to 99%.
Originally developed for Anthrax protection, FEND is a solution of physiological salts (meaning they already exist in our bodies).
Edwards show that FEND could have a significant beneficial effect on airway mucus lining, which is a part of our body’s natural defense system.
His new company, Sensory Cloud, has been exploring more artful ways of delivering aerosol, and has recently invented a proprietary mister that was creating new olfactory experiences in the food and drink industry.
The mister uses a piezo ceramic nebulizer, which creates a mist of micron sized particles by vibrating a stainless steel mesh.
He decides to use this device to deliver FEND.
The form is simple and iconic as a saltshaker.
With an opening at the top and fluid at the bottom, there is an intuitive signal to tilt.
When mist emerges instead of fluid, a new experience is created that many want to share.
Inspired by laboratory glassware, bar top aesthetics, and familiar home dispensers, the hourglass shape separates at the center with a twist, allowing the glass vial to be refilled.
An internal ball switch activates the mist.FEND presents a new form of hygiene that clears the airways of the respiratory droplets that masks miss.
It is not a drug and consists of basic salts, so it can be used as often as desired.
With its novel design and unique sensory experience, the mister is appealing to new users.
It has been used on Hollywood film sets, in businesses, and by hospital staff across the country.
FEND is the future of personal hygiene and respiratory health.
Project: The FEND Mister
Designers: Tom Devlin, David Edwards, and Rachel Field, Devlin Design Inc.
Manufacturer: Sensory Cloud, LLC.
