In an age where noise is hard to avoid almost anywhere, the ability to perform voice calls in silence and in private has become exceedingly important for many people worldwide on a daily basis. Whether that’s simply calling family members or friends to have personal discussions, making confidential business calls with co-workers, or even participating in voice calls while gaming with others online, the need for a noiseless and secure environment in today’s modern society has become more crucial than ever before. Still, being able to communicate with others via cellular network or online has become a true challenge nowadays, especially while using public transports or whenever you’re in crowded places. Enter Skyted, who recently showcased its two new silent mask models, the Skyted Mobility Mask and the Skyted Gaming Mask, respectively ideal for use while traveling and gaming, which are sound absorbing open air masks that utilize voice absorption technology to enable users to perform silent, secure, and confidential voice calls without disturbing anyone around them.
The pandemic-driven rise of remote and hybrid work has emphasized the need for such a communication solution beyond the initial target of travelers; for which Skyted now has the goal of not only incorporating office workers, but also gamers and more. The product’s goal to allow its users to “remain connected but discreet” now extends to a broad reach for the mobility market, applicable for the B2B (e.g., open spaces, call centers and mobility operators), B2G (e.g., military application and AI projects), and B2C (e.g., gamers and commuters) markets.
WHO IS SKYTED?
Skyted is a 3-year old pioneering 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 the workspace, public areas, or even in a home environment.
Founded in 2021 by former Vice President of Airbus, Stéphane Hersen, Skyted is a world leader in the “no voice out, no noise in” field. Since it was founded, the company has been working on developing revolutionary acoustic solutions that enable everyone to make silent, secure, confidential voice calls and video calls from anywhere.
Skyted is backed and financed by top players from the aerospace and aviation industries, including the French Aerospace Lab (ONERA) and Airbus Dev. Additionally, Skyted is also supported by the European Space Agency Accelerator Program, which they joined back in 2023 with the goal of introducing its original Skyted Silent Mask to inflight calls, which the company had previously showcased last year at CES 2023.
Throughout CES 2023, Skyted first demonstrated the proof of concept of its original Skyted Silent Mask. Just one year later after successfully debuting its silent, secure, and inclusive communication solution at CES 2023, Skyted has returned to CES 2024, where the company now showcased two new silent mask models, the Skyted Mobility Mask for business travelers, and the Skyted Gaming Mask for gamers and hybrid workers.
During CES 2024, we had the chance to interview Skyted’s CEO, Stéphane Hersen, who proudly mentioned that “Skyted is a company in the communications industry who wants to be the world leader in silent calls. The company has now been working for over 3 years on how to muffle the human voice when you make a call, without you having to worry about other people around you listening to what you’re saying or worrying about disturbing anyone around you. This is the first time that any tech company is making such a product.”
Stéphane further explained that: “While performing voice calls in silence and in private aboard private jets is relatively easy, doing the same aboard public transports like airplanes and trains is much more complicated, as there will most likely be several people around you. This is why we designed and developed the Skyted Silent Mask, which is a solution for everyone, especially for workers who commute and travel on a regular basis, whether that’s by train, airplane, or by car. That equates to 1 billion people per day worldwide. Skyted offers those people an efficient communication solution that lets them bring “the office” into their mobility, thus allowing them to perform silent, secure, and confidential voice calls while they’re on the go.”
Stéphane finished by saying that: “With Skyted’s Silent Mask, you can have your own privacy bubble for performing voice calls from anywhere. This is what the Skyted Mask is. Still, this communication solution is so much more than just the mask. On top of the mask itself for performing voice calls in private, users are also provided with a reliable means of connectivity for staying in touch with their work teams from anywhere.”
WHAT ARE SKYTED’S TWO NEW SILENT MASKS?
Originally, Skyted designed a wearable disruptive sound absorbing open air mask that provides users with privacy for performing silent and confidential calls, as well as participating in online meetings, and even engage in gaming sessions without disturbing anyone around them.
After successfully showcasing its original Skyted Silent Mask at CES 2023, Skyted has now launched its silent mask in two separate product lines, the Skyted Mobility Mask, which is designed particularly for business travelers, and the Skyted Gaming Mask, which is more suitable for gamers and hybrid workers.
Skyted Mobility Mask
The Skyted Mobility Mask is particularly designed to allow its users to securely communicate in complete confidentiality, anytime and anywhere, featuring unique functionalities such as Sound Bubble, VoiceBooster, Transparency mode and more.
Skyted Gaming Mask
The Skyted Gaming Mask allows its users to experience an unparalleled gaming experience. With it, gamers can communicate with teammates and stay fully immersed in their own gameplay without worrying about being overheard by others, including family members and neighbors alike. The new Skyted Gaming Mask comes with a customizable skin, backlighting and also boasts real-time haptic vibration.
HOW DO SKYTED’S SOUND ABSORBING MASKS WORK?
Both of Skyted’s two new mask models were designed based on its original Skyted Silent Mask model, which utilizes LEONAR, a groundbreaking voice absorption aerospace technology from ONERA that’s utilized to absorb 80% of voice vibrations (i.e. frequencies) to contain the sound of a user’s voice, allowing for crystal clear conversations in noisy environments without causing disruptions or being overheard by people around you.
This technology essentially consists of a jet engine silencer crafted with precision and innovation which essentially makes the mask capable of significantly reducing the sound of a user’s voice by 40 dB, allowing for private and confidential calls in both the real and virtual worlds.
In addition to its innovative design, Skyted’s silent masks also utilize an internal bone-conductor microphone that captures a user’s voice but no external noises.
Skyted’s two new sound absorbing mask models also feature the same special airflow design from its original Skyted Silent Mask, which works based the same open air jet engine dampening technology, allowing for airflow to move in and out of the mask without constraints. Thanks to that, it offers open-air ventilation while trapping only the sound, ensuring a user’s maximum comfort during voice calls.
Both mask models also integrate Bluetooth Connectivity, allowing said masks to be wirelessly connected with any smartphone or other personal device, while also making them compatible with video-calling apps like Zoom.
Lastly, both the Skyted Mobility Mask and the Skyted Gaming Mask now have three (x3) new extra features, including:
- Private Bubble – A Sound Privacy function that can accurately calculate and control intelligibility (neighbors understand what you said) and perceptibility (neighbors can hear you speaking).
- Voice Protect – Cybersecurity with three different technologies ensures the wearer can have secret defense-grade calls and confidential calls even in public places.
- Voice awareness for gamers – The Skyted Gaming Mask will reduce a gamer’s scream during gameplay, lowering sound levels. This helps to avoid the issue of teenagers entering into an aggressive speech loop.
WHAT ARE SKYTED’S FUTURE PLANS FOR ITS TWO NEW SILENT MASKS?
The company’s mission with its two new silent mask models, which is to “Stay connected but discreet” extends to a broad reach for the mobility market, applicable for the B2B (business-to-business) (e.g., open spaces, call centers and mobility operators), B2G (business-to-government) (e.g., military application and AI projects), and B2C (business-to-consumer) (e.g., gamers and commuters) markets.
After showcasing its two new silent masks at CES 2024, Skyted started a crowdfunding campaign for its original Skyted Silent Mask model both trough Kickstarter and Indiegogo.
The company has also been in discussion with Logitech and Razer regarding its Skyted Gaming Mask model with the goal of making it available for gamers worldwide.
Moreover, Skyted has also recently signed an engineering partnership with renowned satellite GEO-LEO satellite provider and operator company Eutelsat OneWeb, who delivers ubiquitous global connectivity worldwide, with the goal of bringing its Skyted Silent Masks to the trains and aircrafts as a way to facilitate communication for travelers utilizing these means of transportation.
If you’re interested in learning more about Skyted’s lineup of silent sound absorbing masks or about Skyted, simply visit Skyted’s official website.
