Wearing masks is a common practice in China for air quality reasons and in Japan as a precaution against the spreading of flu. After seeing how it changes the way in which people interact with each other and the environment, interaction designer Simone Rebaudengo and Paul Adams decided to launch a series of experiments. In collaboration with Shanghai hackerspace Xinchejian, they explore the intersections between mundane and affordable technologies with the project ‘Unmask’. The first prototype uses a custom made arduino compatible board and other components that are able to register facial expressions in order to display them onto a LED matrix. The device is able to detect four different communications: plain, a smile, surprise and a kiss to uncover the wearer’s emotional state of mind hidden underneath the mask. The project was tested around Tokyo to both raise awareness for pollution and to demonstrate that emotions shouldn’t be only shared through our smartphones. Building a mask with smaller parts and a variety of fabrics is up next.