Non-invasive ventilation mask design

Early-stage non-invasive ventilation research identified complex requirements and effects of masks on a user’s face. To evaluate design proposals prior to human use the design research team developed a series of paediatric mannequins that exhibited aspects of human physiology, in particular in relation to softer and harder structures of the face. A child skull structure was 3D printed based on 10 subject (anonymised) scan data amalgamation, and a skin of silicon simulating its soft tissue elasticity and thickness was constructed over. Into the simulated skin were embed a series of deformable, liquid filled tubes, arranged in a radial array, such that an applied prototype mask would deform and influence the inner tube liquid level against a graph. In this analogue way, in the manometer head artefact shown, different mask designs and their features could be tested for evenness of load on face, with less deviation in liquid from a horizonal reading indicating fewer pressure points.