tomomi sayuda's mask of soul helps overcome fears of public speaking

tomomi sayuda’s mask of soul helps overcome fears of public speaking
all images courtesy of tomomi sayuda

glossophobia is a medical term that refers to the fear of speaking in public. people who suffer from the anxiety develop symptoms of nausea, physical distress, and panic. in fact, 75% of the world’s population has some level of anxiety when forced to vocalize their thoughts to a group of strangers. with these facts, tomomi sayuda has created the ‘the mask of soul,’ a device that grants it user the psychological strength to project their thoughts and emotions to anyone in the near vicinity. in order to do so, the helmet hides the speaker’s identity and its microphone picks up their voice to play it aloud through a speaker located on top of the design. if the user needs to enhance their voice, a volume wheel is located along the brim. in its competitive setting the project takes the phobia one step further, inviting people to adopt another persona and shout insults at each other within the context of a championship tournament. the mask was influenced by the karaoke box, which enables participants to diminish stress through a primal releasing of energy.

graphic of a swearing competition

the design is available in blue and pink 

microphones project words through the speaker on top of the helmet

the brim of the design features a volume wheel

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.