Reusable, Transparent, and Reconfigurable N95-equivalent Respirator Masks: Design, Fabrication, and Trials for Enhanced Adoption

The goal of this observational usability study was to evaluate the comfort, breathability, fit, communication, and user acceptance of the SEEUS95 transparent reusable respirator in healthy adult volunteers. The study aimed to assess whether a transparent respirator could improve the user experience while maintaining the characteristics expected of an N95-equivalent respirator.

The main questions it aimed to answer were:

Is the SEEUS95 transparent respirator comfortable to wear during both short-duration (30-minute) and extended-duration use? Does the transparent design improve communication and participants' perception of being seen and understood compared with conventional opaque respirators? Can participants breathe comfortably while wearing the SEEUS95 respirator? Does the adhesive sealing system provide a secure, comfortable fit across different facial shapes and sizes? What design improvements would increase user acceptance and long-term adoption?

Researchers also collected qualitative feedback regarding facial visibility, social interaction, and overall satisfaction with the transparent respirator design.

Participants

Healthy adult volunteers, 18 years of age and older.

Participants were asked to:

Wear the SEEUS95 transparent respirator for approximately 30 minutes during routine activities.

A subset of participants wore the respirator for an extended-duration evaluation to assess comfort over longer periods.

Complete standardized questionnaires evaluating:

Overall comfort Ease of breathing Facial fit and seal Communication while wearing the mask Visibility of facial expressions Perception of feeling "seen" while interacting with others Willingness to wear the respirator in healthcare, workplace, and public settings Overall satisfaction and recommendations for design improvements Provide qualitative feedback through interviews regarding usability, communication, and daily wear experience.

Primary Outcome Measures Overall user comfort during respirator wear Ease of breathing Quality of fit and facial seal Communication effectiveness enabled by the transparent design User acceptance and likelihood of long-term adoption Secondary Outcome Measures Participant perception of social connection and facial visibility Skin comfort and pressure points Ease of donning and removing the respirator Recommendations for future design refinements

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Focus is on Healthy Subjects
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: Reusable, Transparent, and Reconfigurable N95-Equivalent Respirator Masks: Design, Fabrication, and Clinical Trials for Enhanced Adoption

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 20
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Massachusetts
    • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02114
      • Mass General Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adults 18 years of age or older.
• Able to understand the study procedures and provide written informed consent.
• Willing and able to wear the SEEUS95 transparent respirator for approximately 30 minutes and, for selected participants, during an extended-duration wear evaluation.
• Able to complete study questionnaires and provide verbal or written feedback regarding comfort, fit, breathability, communication, visibility, and usability.
• In generally good health, with no medical condition that would preclude wearing a respirator for the duration of the evaluation.
• Willing to comply with all study procedures and scheduled assessments.
• Healthcare workers, clinical staff, or individuals with experience using respiratory protective equipment.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Under 18 years of age.
• Unable or unwilling to provide written informed consent.
• Known allergy or hypersensitivity to silicone, medical-grade adhesives, or other materials used in the SEEUS95 respirator.
• Active respiratory infection or acute illness at the time of participation.
• Significant respiratory disease or other medical condition that, in the opinion of the investigator, could make respirator use unsafe (including severe uncontrolled asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease requiring supplemental oxygen, or severe cardiopulmonary disease).
• Facial skin conditions, open wounds, burns, or dermatologic disorders that could be aggravated by wearing an adhesive respirator.
• Facial hair or facial anatomy that would prevent an adequate respirator seal.
• Physical or cognitive impairment that would interfere with the ability to safely wear the respirator or complete study procedures.
• Participation in another clinical study that, in the opinion of the investigator, could interfere with study participation or interpretation of the results.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Other: Comfort; Participants in the Comfort Evaluation arm wore the SEEUS95 transparent reusable respirator to assess its comfort, fit, breathability, and usability during routine activities. The respirator features a transparent facepiece, reusable silicone body, skin-safe adhesive facial seal, and replaceable high-efficiency bio-filter. Participants completed both short-duration (approximately 30-minute) and extended-duration wear evaluations and completed standardized questionnaires assessing overall comfort, ease of breathing, facial seal, pressure points, communication, visibility of facial expressions, and overall user satisfaction. Qualitative feedback was also collected regarding perceived comfort, willingness to use the respirator in healthcare and public settings, and recommendations for design improvements. The evaluation included both short-term (30-minute) and extended-duration wear to assess changes in comfort and usabilit	Device: Reusable, Transparent, and Reconfigurable N95-Equivalent Respirator Masks: Design, Fabrication, and Clinical Trials for Enhanced Adoption; The SEEUS95 is an investigational reusable transparent respirator designed to provide N95-equivalent respiratory protection while improving user comfort, communication, and sustainability. Unlike conventional opaque disposable respirators, the SEEUS95 incorporates a transparent facepiece that allows full visibility of the mouth and facial expressions, facilitating communication and lip-reading during patient care and everyday interactions. The respirator consists of a reusable medical-grade silicone body with a skin-safe adhesive facial seal designed to provide a secure fit across a wide range of facial shapes and sizes without the need for tight elastic straps. The device incorporates replaceable high-efficiency bio-based filter media and is intended to reduce environmental waste associated with single-use disposable respirators.
Active Comparator: Visual and facial identity; Compare facial recognition with Seeus95 mask and comparative mask with N95 rating most commonly used in the market.	Device: Reusable, Transparent, and Reconfigurable N95-Equivalent Respirator Masks: Design, Fabrication, and Clinical Trials for Enhanced Adoption; The SEEUS95 is an investigational reusable transparent respirator designed to provide N95-equivalent respiratory protection while improving user comfort, communication, and sustainability. Unlike conventional opaque disposable respirators, the SEEUS95 incorporates a transparent facepiece that allows full visibility of the mouth and facial expressions, facilitating communication and lip-reading during patient care and everyday interactions. The respirator consists of a reusable medical-grade silicone body with a skin-safe adhesive facial seal designed to provide a secure fit across a wide range of facial shapes and sizes without the need for tight elastic straps. The device incorporates replaceable high-efficiency bio-based filter media and is intended to reduce environmental waste associated with single-use disposable respirators.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Comfort	Primary Outcome Measure Comfort While Wearing the SEEUS95 Transparent Respirator Mask Description: Participant-reported comfort of the SEEUS95 reusable transparent respirator mask during routine daily activities. Comfort will be assessed using a standardized user questionnaire evaluating overall fit, facial pressure, breathability, heat and moisture buildup, ease of speaking, ease of breathing, skin irritation, and overall wearability. Individual questionnaire items will be rated on a 10-point Likert scale (1 = very poor, 10 = excellent). An overall comfort score will be calculated as the mean of all comfort-related items. Time Frame: Immediately following a 15-minute wear period and again after prolonged use of 5-8 hours. Partial Breaks every 30 minutes. Assessment Method: Self-administered participant questionnaire completed after each testing period.	30 min - 1 hour

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: SEEUS95 Inc
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Alice Chun, SEEUS95 Inc

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): June 26, 2025
• Primary Completion (Actual): August 14, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): August 14, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 9, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 14, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): July 17, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 17, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 14, 2026
• Last Verified: July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Health Care Quality, Access, and Evaluation; Investigative Techniques; Epidemiologic Methods; Health Care Evaluation Mechanisms; Quality of Health Care; Public Health; Environment and Public Health; Epidemiologic Study Characteristics; Clinical Studies as Topic; Clinical Trials as Topic
• Other Study ID Numbers: 392464; 1R41DC020133-01A1 Appl ID 1048 (Other Grant/Funding Number: Harvard University Faculty of Medicine); 1R41DC020133-01A1 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES

IPD Plan Description

What Individual Participant Data (IPD) will be shared?

De-identified individual participant data underlying the results reported in publications arising from this study will be made available. The shared dataset may include participant demographic information, usability questionnaire responses, comfort assessments, breathability ratings, communication and visibility evaluations, and other de-identified outcome measures collected during the study.

What other documents will be available?

The following supporting documents may also be made available:

Study protocol Statistical analysis plan (if applicable) Case report forms (with identifying information removed) Data dictionary describing variables and coding Informed consent template (redacted as appropriate) When will the data be available?

Data will become available beginning 6 months after publication of the primary study results or 12 months after study completion, whichever occurs first.

How long will the data be available?

T

• IPD Sharing Time Frame: IPD will become available 12 -18 months after study completion or upon publication of the primary study results, whichever occurs first. Data will remain available for 5 years thereafter.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

De-identified individual participant data and supporting study documents will be made available to qualified researchers upon reasonable request. Access may include de-identified participant-level usability data, study protocol, data dictionary, and statistical analysis documentation, as applicable.

Researchers requesting access must submit a brief research proposal describing the intended use of the data. Requests will be reviewed by the Principal Investigator to ensure that the proposed use is scientifically appropriate, consistent with participant informed consent, and protects participant confidentiality. Approved investigators may be required to execute a Data Use Agreement prior to receiving the data.

Requests should be directed to the Principal Investigator at SEEUS95 Inc. Data will be provided electronically using a secure file transfer method.

• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; SAP; CSR

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: Yes
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: Yes