When it comes to performing voice calls on demand, today’s modern devices that allow for personal communications (whether via cellular network, via an internet connection, or by using mobile data) have certainly made communicating with other people through voice calls much more readily available, whether that’s simply calling family members or even if it involves making an important business call. In fact, while cellphones were originally equipped with just a single microphone that was to capture a user’s voice during a call, nowadays, smartphones usually integrate at least three or four MEMS microphones, which makes their voice-recording capabilities much more accurate. However, if you’re looking to perform a voice call on a crowded area, then it can prove to be quite difficulty – or even impossible – for whoever you’re calling to be able to hear you properly, as whenever you’re present in a crowded environment chances are that others around you will also be making noise. This problem goes even further than that if you actually require to have a private / confidential conversation with who you’re calling to, as in that case, you obviously wouldn’t want other people around you to hear what you have to say. Enter Skyted, a startup company that recently unveiled its sound absorbing open air mask called the Skyted Silent Mask at CES 2023, which aims to provide privacy for silent and confidential voice calls and meetings, and potentially, even for a silent-form of gaming, no matter where you are.
WHO IS SKYTED?
Skyted is a French startup company based in Toulouse, France that specializes in developing new and innovative communication solutions and communication services that support neo-nomadism and HybridWork by reducing the impact of a user’s voice in their surrounding environment, thus ultimately redefining the many possibilities of performing personal calls and other forms of communication within a workspace, within a public area, or even in a home environment.
Skyted is backed and financed by top players from the aerospace and aviation industries, including Airbus Dev. Furthermore, the company has also joined the European Space Agency Accelerator Program to introduce inflight calls with its Skyted Silent Mask.
The Skyted Silent Mask is the concept product of a theoretical problem that was originally presented by a customer of Airbus Dev to Skyted’s CEO and former Vice President of Airbus, Stéphane Hersen, who was asked by that customer if it would be possible to have a system or solution that would allow 300 airplane passengers to individually perform inflight voice calls at the same time, but without bothering each other or arguing with one another.
Hersen started by talking to Phds and experienced engineers about at how many decibels the human voice occurs (which is estimated to propagate approximately between 55dB to 65 dB), for which those experts told him that stopping the sound propagation of the human voice is just like stopping the sound of an aircraft, for which you need some sort of muffler system for sound dissipation.
The problem then was that people can’t really wear a muffler on most scenarios, so Hersen came up with the idea of creating a sound absorbing open air mask that’s specifically designed to disrupt sound from propagating outwards, and thus, the Skyted Silent Mask was born.
“My original concept was from a transportation perspective, as I focused on how we could keep the human voice from traveling to keep calls private, silent and confidential. Working in the aviation industry, it was logical to engineer the mask with an aerospace sourced acoustic absorber, so our mask is made of metamaterial, an acoustic liner that has been developed by French Darpa ONERA to silence the Jet blast in jet engines.”, said Hersen in a recent interview.
“Three years after I began this venture due to the new hybrid work conditions, billions of workers regularly handle calls in noisy, confined and crowded spots. All of us have experienced calls in very noisy situations, with a high potential for confidentiality breaches and frequent noise assaults on those around, not to mention competing conference calls even within our own homes.”
Embedded below, our readers can check out a video of Skyted’s CEO, Stéphane Hersen testing out the Skyted Silent Mask in a professional Anechoic Chamber that’s located in Toulouse, France, for which that test took place ahead of CES 2023.
WHAT IS THE SKYTED SILENT MASK?
The Skyted Silent Mask is a wearable disruptive voice- and sound-absorbing open air mask that utilizes breakthrough aerospace technology to absorb 80% of voice vibrations in order to contain the sound of a user’s voice for private and confidential calls in both the real and virtual worlds, for which it features an internal bone-conductor microphone that captures only a user’s voice but no external noises, a special airflow design based on an open air jet engine technology that allows for airflow to move in and out of the mask without constraints, plus Bluetooth Connectivity that allows the mask to be wirelessly connected with any smartphone or other personal device, while also making it compatible with video-calling apps like Zoom.
By utilizing the Skyted Silent Mask, users are able to have their own personal closed environment that ultimately allows them to perform voice calls in total privacy and without being heard by other people that are close by, as well as without creating any noise-related disturbance for anyone within their proximity.
HOW DOES THE SKYTED SILENT MASK WORK?
In terms of its construction, the Skyted Silent Mask is designed to be capable of properly containing the sound of a user’s voice while still being fairly lightweight for its users’ comfort.
Therefore, the mask is made of a military-grade acoustic liner metamaterial that makes it weigh only 220g, but still capable of fully utilizing the same breakthrough aerospace technology that’s used to silence the Jet blast in jet engines in order to make it capable of absorbing 80% of a user’s voice vibrations so that it can ultimately contain the sound of a user’s voice for private and confidential calls, which can be performed in both the real world as well as in virtual worlds.
For capturing solely its user’s voice, the Skyted Silent Mask comes equipped with an internal bone-conductor microphone that’s specifically designed to capture only a user’s voice but no external noises from outside the mask.
More specifically, the mask’s internal bone-conductor microphone works by transmitting sound vibrations through a user’s cheekbones instead of through the air, for which its microphone can ultimately reduce sounds from -25 to -40 decibels.
Moreover, the mask also features a special airflow design based on an open air jet engine technology that essentially allows for airflow to move without constraints both into the mask as well as out of the mask, thus allowing users to breathe properly and with ease.
In other words, there aren’t any components between a user’s mouth and the mask’s “gills” (i.e. the mask’s airways).
Additionally, the Skyted Silent Mask also boasts Bluetooth Connectivity by integrating a Bluetooth PCB (Printed Circuit Board), which ultimately allows the device to be wirelessly connected with any smartphone or other personal device (such as a tablet or even a laptop or computer) as well as with any TWS device (such as a pair of earbuds, a headset, or even a speaker), and also makes it perfectly compatible with video-calling apps like Zoom.
Lastly, it’s also worth noting that this sound absorbing open air mask also features a sleek open-ear design, so it doesn’t cover up a user’s ears, which means that the mask is perfectly compatible (i.e. can be used) with most brands of earbuds, as well as with most headphones.
WHAT ARE SKYTED’S FUTURE PLANS FOR THE SKYTED SILENT MASK?
As mentioned before, Skyted just recently announced its Skyted Silent Mask at CES 2023 in Las Vegas, and its sound absorbing open air mask is already a Patented product.
When it comes to the company’s plans for the availability of its sound absorbing open air mask, know that Skyted will be launching two different product lines of its Skyted Silent Mask – one for business travelers (called the Silent Mask Headset Business Line) and one for gamers (called the Silent Mask Headset Gamer Line).
The Silent Mask Headset Business Line is designed as a mask that utilizes open air technology to make it breathable and comfortable to wear and also to ultimately silence a user’s voice, thus helping each user to make confidential calls anytime and anywhere, even in noisy and/or crowded environments.
The Silent Mask Headset Gamer Line is designed specifically for gamers, with its design originating from an inspiration in the love for video gaming. It’s designed as a comfortable and easy to breathe through soundproof mask that ultimately allows users to play games anywhere and at any time, for which they can scream and shout during intense gameplay without ever worrying about disturbing anyone around them (such as people sleeping in the next room, etc.).
If you’re interested in getting either product line of the Skyted Silent Mask, know that the company will soon be launching a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign during March 2023, from which you’ll be able to pre-order your preferred product version of the Silent Mask. According to Skyted, their Skyted Silent Mask will retail for $400.
Furthermore, Skyted stated that it could also create custom designs for its Skyted Silent Mask for multiple different uses, and according to the company, they could also even create a COVID-version of the Silent Mask, which could be used by commuters, travelers, etc.
The company also plans on licensing its Silent Mask to many renowned airlines companies.
If you’re interested in knowing even more about the Skyted Silent Mask and/or if you’re interested in following its release to the consumer market, then simply visit Skyted’s official website.
