Planet Arduino

While trick-or-treating may or may not be in effect this Halloween, if you’re planning to participate, a mask could be a good idea. To help add some “expression” to your COVID-19 facial covering, BuildXYZ has come up with the Pixel Mask — capable of showing fangs and other graphics on an 128×64 OLED screen to match any costume.

But that’s not all. The device is equipped with an Arduino Nano and microphone that senses sound levels and then animates a mouth on the front display to mimic a wearer’s mouth movements. There’s even a button to activate a special “Trick or Treat” message.

The build can be equipped with N95 filter material, and is powered by a portable USB pack. Print files are available on Thingiverse and code is on GitHub if you’d like to construct your own.

When wearing a face mask nowadays, you can’t show expressions in the same ways that we’re all accustomed to. As a possible solution to this problem, programmer Tyler Glaiel decided to create a custom covering, with an 8×8 LED matrix that picks up his voice and imitates his mouth moving. It even allows him to smile by sensing when he makes a “pop” sound.

The build is entirely self-contained, with an Arduino Nano, 9V power supply, and electret microphone embedded in the mask’s translucent black cloth.

Instructions on how to make your own are available in Glaiel’s blog post, though he is quick to note that it’s not guaranteed to inhibit virus transmissions, and is meant as something of a novelty.