Some of our readers may recall our article last week in which we introduced the C-Face smart mask by Japanese tech startup Donut Robotics.

As introduced in major international media outlets such as CNN Business, Reuters, and the New York Times (print edition, July 29th, scan available on Donut Robotics' website), the gadget is the world's first smart mask which works with smartphones to provide automatic translation, voice transcription and voice amplification to overcome communication impediments while maintaining social distance.

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Crowdfunding goal achieved within hours of launch

Today, August 13th marked the launch of the C-Face smart mask's crowdfunding campaign, through which members of the general public were finally able to place their orders.

After launching at 11:00, it only took a matter of hours for the campaign to reach 100% of its half-million yen (4,674 USD at current rates) funding goal, only to follow up with one million yen (200%) a few hours later, and at the time of writing, it has already passed the equivalent of 10,000 USD on its first day, thereby indicating the high level of interest the device has generated both in Japan and abroad.

The crowdfunding campaign continues until October 29th, and at the time of writing, there are still 73 slots available for the super early-bird 5% discount of 4,159 JPY (38.87 USD) for one and 67 slots for the super early-bird 10% discount of 7,880 JPY (73.67 USD) for two masks. Other rewards are listed in detail on the campaign page here.