SINGAPORE — Engineers from the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) said they have developed an alternative face protector that can be used to help solve the global shortage of surgical masks and personal protective equipment (PPE).

The product, known as FaceProtect+, is an adjustable and reusable face shield to protect users and those they interact with from accidental fluid splashes and droplets, DSTA said in a statement on Tuesday (April 14).

Mr Shawn Chew, senior engineer from the National Security Programme Centre at DSTA, said: “With the heightened demand for PPE, our engineers started to design and prototype a cost-effective, lightweight and reusable face shield that offers an extra layer of protection for our frontline workers.”

Frontline workers who would use FaceProtect+ include those working at service counters, temperature screeners, security guards, facility managers, and crowd and perimeter controllers.

DSTA is working with industry partner Racer Technology to locally manufacture FaceProtect+, which has an adjustable frame that caters to different face sizes, including bespectacled wearers, making it more ergonomic to use, the statement said.

FaceProtect+ also has a wider, longer and thicker visor than commercial off-the-shelf face shields to increase coverage of the face, making it more resilient for use outdoors where winds may be strong.

In addition to being reusable and easy to maintain by washing with soap and water after use, FaceProtect+ is also designed such that the visors can be easily replaced, should there be wear and tear.

"The face shields have been distributed to a few public agencies over the past two weeks, including the Ministry of Defence and the Land Transport Authority. We are working to ramp up production to equip more organisations with the face shields as swiftly as possible for their frontline personnel,” said Mr Chew.

DSTA is also in the process of supplying the Singapore Armed Forces with the face shields.