Behold the bra-mask — a bra that can be turned into a pair of protective face masks.
Bodnar’s invention won the Ig Nobel Prize, given by the Annals of Improbable Research magazine for achievements that "first make people laugh and then make them think.”
"The brilliance of my idea is that it’s very simple,” said Bodnar, director of the nonprofit Trauma Risk Management Research Institute.
To use the bra mask, the wearer unsnaps the brassiere from under her shirt, which breaks it in two.
Each cup has hooks on its side, so the strap is wrapped around the head and hooked to the cup, which goes over the mouth. An experienced user can don the mask in seconds, Bodnar said.
The bra mask could be used during such disasters as fires, terrorist attacks, dust storms or a swine flu outbreak, she said. She is pursuing commercialization of her bra mask.
What about men? As Bodnar said in her acceptance speech at Harvard University, "Isn’t it wonderful that women have two breasts, not just one? We can save not only our own lives, but also a man of our choice next to us.”
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services
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