Berlin-based art collective Plastique Fantastique has created an open-source, retro-futuristic face shield shaped like a fish bowl to protect wearers against coronavirus.
The helmet-like design, called the iSphere, comprises two transparent, hollow hemispheres that have been secured together and cut to create a hole for the user to fit their head through.
Plastique Fantastique founders Marco Canevacci and Yena Young were driven to design the shield as a response to new regulation. On 27 April 2020, it became mandatory for people on public transport in Berlin to keep their mouth and nose covered in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Canevacci and Young wanted to bring an element of humour to a serious object for non-medical users.
They found inspiration in science fiction comics of the 1950s, as well as visuals from "utopian movements" of the 1960s.
According to the duo, the whole process took around 30 minutes and the costs for the materials were about €24, which is approximately £21.
The designers also suggest customising the iShield with add-on "gadgets" such as a sunshade, a mirrored layer, an integrated microphone, a speaker or a snorkel.
Source: Natashah Hitti
