Will This Become Our New Outdoor Suit?

The coronavirus pandemic has slowly changed everyone's normal to create a new normal. One industry that may emerge from the shelter-in-place orders and evolved drastically is live entertainment industry.

Major music events — including Bonnaroo and Coachella — have been rescheduled, and dozens of artists, from Shania Twain to Justin Bieber, have postponed their tours. Given these changes, it may seem like the days of packing into a venue for a show are behind us.

But Production Club, a Los Angeles-based "multidisciplinary creative studio" known for working with EDM stars like Skrillex, hopes to change that.

In an Instagram post last 6 May, the company shared a futuristic-looking "air-tight top suit" dubbed the Micrashell. Production Club describes it as an "offshoot of a Hazmat suit" and "a personal protective suit" that "allows you to safely socialize in times of pandemic."

Made of "high-performance cut-resistant fabric" and "lightweight film composite" the suit contains two lithium-ion batteries for charging a phone, as well as a "supply system" with disposable canisters that allow users to vape or drink.

The company states that the design is a "socially responsible solution" that uses an "air filtration and breathing system based on worldwide standard regulations using N95 filters." Among Micrashell’s other features are a built-in camera, built-in speaker, external voice system and multicolored LED lighting that wearers can use to communicate their mood.

While the suit has earned attention from the tech world, epidemiologists tell Yahoo Life they aren't so convinced of its potential.

"It looks like something out of a space movie," says William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University. "Obviously an extraordinary amount of thought has gone into this, but I can't imagine that hoards of concertgoers will want to get into one of these contraptions. They don't look very comfortable."