Razer's High-Tech Project Hazel Mask Just Got Some Outstanding News
Earlier this year, Razer revealed an interesting RGB mask it called Project Hazel. Of course, there's a joke about Razer sticking RGB on everything just for the sake of RGB, but beyond the lights, Project Hazel was seemed like a fairly high-tech wearable, with filters, speakers, and even a case that uses ultraviolet light to sterilize the mask when not in use. Now, it seems that Project Hazel is going to become a reality.
While Project Hazel was only a concept when it was revealed back at CES 2021, Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan has told Yahoo Finance that it will now become a real product. Initially, it sounds like Razer was hesitant to move Project Hazel from concept to production because when it was first revealed in January, vaccines were on the horizon and it wasn't clear if we'd still be wearing masks much longer.
It's clear now that we likely will be wearing masks as the vaccine roll out continues and even for some time afterward, so Razer made the decision to turn Project Hazel into a real product. "We were thinking, this is a concept project and is this going to be relevant when vaccinations and everything has been rolled out. 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," Tan told Yahoo Finance.
One potentially attractive thing about Project Hazel is that it solves the sustainability issues that come along with single-use masks. Project Hazel masks are intended to be worn over and over again, and they come with a UV light case that can sterilize it between uses. The mask is also outfitted with a clear shield to show the wearer's mouth, battery-powered RGB lights, air vents and filters that apparently work as well as N95 masks, and it even has microphones and speakers to amplify the wearer's voice.
If there's such a thing as a high-end mask, Project Hazel is probably it. There's no timeline for its release, but given that Tan thinks that we could be wearing masks for the next year or two, it might be worth investing in one when Project Hazel does eventually make its retail debut.