A Swiss startup company called HMCARE has raised over $100 million to market its innovative clear face mask.

The founders said they were motivated by the 2015 Ebola outbreak when they witnessed healthcare workers treating sick children around the world with their faces mostly covered. As we've noticed during the past few months, masks make it hard to understand what people are saying or read their expressions.

According to EPFL News, for some segments of the population like the elderly, children, and the hearing-impaired, masks present a major obstacle in communication. Swiss scientists have been working for two years developing a surgical-grade transparent mask which they plan to launch in early 2021 to make masks less intimidating.

The new products are called HelloMasks and are primarily designed for healthcare workers to make the contact between caregivers and patients less impersonal, according to EPFL News. TechCrunch noted that there are versions of clear masks that exist, but those are just regular masks with a plastic window in them, which can fog up and isn't breathable.

HMCARE CEO Tierry Pelet approached his former colleagues at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) with his prototype of a transparent mask that was breathable but also efficiently blocked viruses and bacteria. While they are intended for the medical community, public availability of HelloMasks is certain a possibility, said TechCrunch.