Using the Fugaku supercomputer, the world's fastest, a consortium of Japanese researchers has developed a wrap-around face shield that can more effectively block airborne droplets and reduce exposure to the coronavirus for diners at pubs and restaurants.

With many restaurants struggling to make ends meet as customers stay away over concerns of infection, Toppan Printing Co. and Suntory Liquors Ltd. launched an initiative to develop an effective face shield that could be worn while dining out. They sought help from the state-backed Riken research institute, which created the Fugaku supercomputer jointly with Fujitsu Ltd.

A computer illustration of a new face shield design by Toppan Printing Co. and Suntory Liquors Ltd. | COURTESY OF TOPPAN PRINTING CO.
A computer illustration of a new face shield design by Toppan Printing Co. and Suntory Liquors Ltd. | COURTESY OF TOPPAN PRINTING CO.