Design studio PriestmanGoode has collaborated with startup Skyted on a mask that uses jet-engine technology to absorb the wearer's voice so they can make calls in public without being overheard.
The prototype mask, which was unveiled at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), is designed to absorb up to 80 per cent of voice sounds. At the same time, an internal microphone records the wearer's voice and transmits it to the caller.
"We're all used to headphones and earbuds as a way of containing sound entering our ears," PriestmanGoode director Luke Hawes told Dezeen. "The Skyted mask does the same for the human voice."
PriestmanGoode and Skyted have unveiled a noise-cancelling face mask
The 220-gram face mask covers the wearer's mouth and nose and can reduce sound by between 25 and 40 decibels thanks to an inner mesh liner. This is made using the same materials that line a jet engine to muffle its sound, according to Hawes. "Through the support of Airbus Development, The European Space Agency and Onera, we have achieved an optimal product with a voice absorption above 80 per cent but also allowing air to flow around the mask," Hawes said.
"By using this technology, the sound of a voice is absorbed within the mask and any background noise such as traffic noise or other chatter will not be picked up by the inner microphone."
The mask is designed to absorb up to 80 per cent of voice sounds
Designed for making audio and video calls, the ...