Skyted Creates First Silent Mask

The hybrid work culture, mainly prompted by lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic and now adopted by numerous companies all over the world, has made working from anywhere a common occurrence.

This has resulted in professionals taking meetings and work calls in public spaces. Whether in cafes or on public transportation, this habit can create a disruptive experience not just for those around them but also for themselves, as external noises getting into calls can prove quite bothersome, too. Solutions to this issue include noise-canceling headphones, but they only benefit the user and may not work perfectly every time either, especially in particularly loud places like a train station.

With the need for confidential communication now further widespread, Skyted, a tech company founded by Stéphane Hersen, offers a different solution that works for everyone by creating the world’s first-ever silent mask, designed to make calls silent and confidential using jet engine silencer technology.

Silence Amidst Noise

Following his years of experience in the aerospace industry, specifically as the former head of business development for Airbus, Hersen has grown aware of one pain point faced by international airline passengers, especially those needing to make urgent calls during a flight.

Hersen imagined a scenario where hundreds of passengers filling up a plane need to make phone calls, but, of course, this would be incredibly disruptive. Those who need to sleep or just simply don’t want to hear about one’s new business proposition will be disturbed, and everyone on a call will have noises from other callers disturbing their conversations. So, how would 300 plane passengers have a call without impacting themselves and others?

Trying to find the answer to this question, coupled with his observation of the new hybrid work conditions impacted by the pandemic, Hersen then came up with Skyted’s silent mask. The idea originated all the way back in 2018, with Hersen building a proof of concept in 2022 and coming up with several prototypes before finalizing the product’s design and features last November.

The final prototype was demoed at 2024’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, along with the announcement of the silent mask’s Kickstarter campaign’s launch. As the campaign ended on February 7, the company raised funding way over its pledge goal, only aiming for $8.8K with a final total of over $172K in funding from 690 backers.

Several people, including tech columnists, tested the silent mask and came home greatly satisfied with its functionalities. Cherlynn Low from Engadget tested the silent mask with her colleague, Mat Smith, who was completely unaware of her already starting to speak despite him standing right next to her.

This is made possible by the silent mask’s noise-absorption feature, designed using a jet engine dampening technology that muffles one’s voice by up to 80% and reduces sound by 25 to 40 decibels.

Aerospace Technology

To ensure the silent mask’s core functionality, Skyted collaborated with Airbus, French aerospace lab ONERA, and the European Space Agency, allowing Skyted access to ONERA’s groundbreaking jet engine silencer technology, LEONAR (Long Elastic Open Neck Acoustic Resonator).

Using this military-grade material, the silent mask is able to absorb human voice frequencies and allow the soundwaves to stay in a controlled environment, preventing them from leaking out. The waves come from users speaking into the mask’s bone-conductor microphone, which transmits sound vibrations through one’s cheekbones instead of the air.

Depending on the model of the mask, which, for the moment, comes in two in either black or white, the microphone can be connected to one’s Android or iOS device via wire or Bluetooth. The mask also has audio jacks attached for audio input and output, and LEONAR makes it possible for voices absorbed from external environments not to enter. The mask is said to be compatible with noise-cancelling earbuds as well.

The mask can be connected to the Skyted App, which includes features that can be used to provide insights into one’s perceptibility and intelligibility levels. If one realizes that their voice isn’t clear or loud enough, the app’s Voice Booster feature lets users enhance the volume of their voice without having to actually speak louder. In case there’s fear that others around them can hear their gossip or company secrets, users can even whisper during calls and still be completely intelligible.

The mask has an embedded outer speaker coupled with a feature that doesn’t require users to remove the mask or end the calls they are on. Users can mute their voice in ongoing calls while they are speaking to those around them.

With the Silent Mask’s innovative features and great use case potential, individuals can have a seamless and confidential communication experience amidst the world’s noise and constant chatter, protected from unwanted eavesdropping whilst protecting others’ peace as well.

The mask, which is said to have a battery life of 10 hours after an hour and 30 minutes of charging, is priced at $249 for wired and $299 for Bluetooth for super early birds, with normal pricing at $599 and $799. Skyted aims for mass production by May and local delivery starting in December 2024.

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