The Prolixus are a matching set of interactive video mouths to be worn over the users own mouths by way of the helmets to which they are affixed.  They each consist of a five-inch LCD screen attached by metal rod to a bike helmet.  The LCD displays either the wearer’s mouth or the matching wearer’s mouth.  Switching between the two mouths requires the users to either slam their heads into something hard, or slap their own or each other’s helmets. 

The basic interaction consists of either a pair of Prolixus wearers or a sole wearer.  When two users are each wearing a Prolixus, they have the opportunity to interact with each other.  As briefly mentioned above, the LCD screen either displays the wearer’s mouth or the matching wearers mouth.  The signal from the wired camera behind each screen is fed into the helmet’s DPDT relay, acting as an A/B switcher.  The other feed for the switcher comes from the wireless receiver also mounted on the back of each helmet.  The wireless transceiver on one helmet is tuned to receive the wireless signal from the matching helmet and vice versa.  This means that each helmet’s LCD screen has the potential to display either wearer’s mouth at any time.  A pair of helmets could display either both mouths of both wearers on their own screens, the opposite wearer’s mouth on the opposite screen, or one or the other of the wearer’s mouths on both screens.  A wearer can only discern what is on his or her own screen by looking into a mirror, or judging the reaction they are receiving from their surroundings.  In this way, the Prolixus can be used in a public performance as well as on the stage.  It can even be used as an interactive toy.    

The Prolixus makes it possible to say things to yourself as other people.  If you are wearing a Prolixus and a girl that you like, but who does not like you, is also wearing a Prolixus you can look at her and see your own mouth on her face, asking you if you’d like to get a whiskey sometime over at the Continental after class.  The Prolixus also allows you to say things as yourself, but pretend that it’s not really you.  You can wear a Prolixus and ask a girl you like to go get some coffee “sometime” and enjoy the level of security that comes from the mediatization of vulnerable questions and statements. 
The Prolixus also induces the tendency to say things in great confidence.  During user testing, users reported feeling safe exaggerating the movements of their mouth because of the screen that obscures their “real” mouth from public view.  Their mouth is now filtered through a screen, mediatized.