  Remote monitoring of vital signs in infectious patients minimizes the risks
of viral transmissions to healthcare professionals. Evidence indicates that
donning face masks reduces the risk of viral transmissions and is now the norm
in medical facilities. We propose attaching an acoustic-sensing device onto
face masks to assist medical facilities in monitoring patients' respiration
remotely. Usability and functionality studies of the modified face mask were
evaluated on 16 healthy participants, who were blindfolded throughout the data
collection. Around half of the participants noticed the difference between the
modified and unmodified masks but they also reported there was no discomfort in
using the modified mask. Respiratory rates of the participants were evaluated
for one minute and the mean error of respiratory rate was found to be 2.0 +/-
1.3 breath per minute. As all participants were healthy, the wheeze detection
algorithm was assessed by playing 176 wheezes and 176 normal breaths through a
foam mannequin. The recordings were played at three different times to account
for varying environmental noise. The overall accuracy of the wheeze detection
algorithm was 91.9%. The current findings support and suggest the use of the
mask attachment in medical facilities.
