Smart mask and smart mask system

A smart mask comprising:

• a main body having a back frame configured to contact a wearer when the smart mask is worn, and a front cover configured to cover the back frame, wherein the back frame and the front cover cooperate to retain a replaceable filter;
• a proximity sensor fixed within the main body and configured to detect a distance an object is away from the proximity sensor;
• a light source fixed within the main body;
• and
• a processor embedded within the main body and coupled to the proximity sensor and the light source, wherein the processor is configured to cause the light source to emit a color in response to the detected distance being less than a predetermined, fixed distance threshold.

A system for enhancing speech of a mask wearer, the system comprising:

• a mask main body including a back frame and a front cover, the back frame including a first border defining a first opening aligned with a mouth of the mask wearer when worn, the front cover including a second border defining a second opening aligned with the first opening, wherein the back frame and the front cover cooperate to define a receptacle for receiving a replaceable filter;
• a microphone attached to the mask main body and configured to receive an utterance from a mask wearer;
• a speaker attached to the mask main body;
• a memory housed within the mask main body and containing a speech enhancement model that is trained from a plurality of acoustic models;
• and
• a processor housed within the mask main body and programmed to:
• receive the utterance from the microphone,
• employ the speech enhancement model to process the utterance by estimating a spectrum of background noise as deviating from the utterance remove the spectrum of background noise, and
• output an enhanced utterance via the speaker with the spectrum of background noise removed.