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Headset Uses Bone-Conduction Technology
Wired reports that a new headset is on the way to solve all those background noise problems you have had with your cell phone in crowded areas. This new bluetooth headset uses "bone-conduction" technology that converts vibrations from you jaw into sound. The article claims it should be available as early as later this year for around $200.
I saw an exhibit with this kind of technology about 10 years ago in a science museum. In their variation, you put your forehead on a postage-stamp sized metal plate, and then you suddenly heard a voice. I remember thinking that it was pretty cool. Definitely a good idea to put it in a cellphone headset. I do wonder a bit about ensuring sufficient contact with the jaw. In the exhibit I saw, you bent over to put your head on the plate, and thanks to the heaviness of the human head, there was a decent amount of pressure against the plate. No idea exactly how much you need to make sure it gets transferred to the bone, but I could see that being a bit of an issue.
If you combined that with the sub-vocalization technology that can detect what you say as you speak silently, we might be able to rid society of noisy cellphone users. Now that's tech I can appreciate.
Anyone else think of the original Bone Phone?
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http://www.pocketcalculatorshow.com/magicalgadget
Looks like it could make a comeback as a combination mobile phone and mp3 player; then again, probably not.
In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is usually crucified.
This stuff has existed for decades. I had one of these for my cellphone ten years ago. It works great, sounds like you are talking from a quiet room instead of a car whipping down the freeway, even when you ARE in a car whipping down the freeway.
It certainly isn't worth $200, though. We are talking about maybe $2 worth of materials here, probably even less.
-Matt
Bone microphone technology has been around for quite some time in the two-way radio communications biz, and it's much more discreet.
Bone microphones are sometimes used in the movie industry to communicate with actors/stunt people while on camera, when the person is too far away to reliably hear direction (if the person is dangling from a construction crane, for example).
I have long wondered whether or not technologies like this might be a way to combat the inevitable hearing loss that we will be seeing from the increase in popularity of gadgets like the iconic ipod. Perhaps with a set of these one could rock out at what you thought was a loud volume without damaging the ear drum.
A fellow that I go swimming with is big into music and so has tried a variety of different devices for having music while doing laps - one of which is a bone-conduction headset. It works indifferently well for music - certain frequencies transfer better than others, but I could see that it might do better for phone communication. I'd think that a canalphone (shure or etymotic) would provide a more discreet and less bulky solution. Plus it won't pulverize your teeth or brain - though a canalphone might blow out your eardrum if you've got it up loud and get a burst of static or something.
James
When I did my military service in Norway back in 1987, we used (among others) the SEM 52N variant tactical radio. This was fitted with a head piece with a bone conduction microphone. I'm unable to find a picture of the head piece, but the radio-set can be viewed at http://www.armyradio.com/publish/Articles/SEM_52A/ SEM-52A.htm
Heck, bone conduction earsets have been available for at least 15 years now for two-way radios. Motorola made them for tactical radios for police use back then.
According to the article, this device is for transmitting your speech (not listening).I've always heard that the reason why we're shocked when we hear our own recorded voices, because we hear our own voice through bone-conduction... and the bone-conducted version sounds better.
If so, the person at the other end might not recognize you, because you would sound like a stranger... a stranger who has a richer, deeper voice than you.
If that's correct, the implications are interesting.
"How to Do Nothing," kids activities, back in print!
I drive through 3 counties about 3 days a week visiting clients and fixing network/software/hardware issues, logging ~90 miles a day. Frequently I'm speaking with clients while driving, or the office. Being able to push one button and say 'Call so-n-so', without ever looking away from the road is well worth the 100bux spent on the HS. How many people do you see driving holding a phone and sometimes a drink and not paying a bit of attention to what is going on around them? Usually in those f'ing H2's or Navigators.
Additionally, when I'm onsite, it may look strange, and I do get smart-assed comments every so often, I usually wear the HS. This frees up my hands to do whatever I'm working on and allows me to talk to the boss or other support people.
Once I'm done with work and am heading into a grocery store/bar/anyplace where I don't want to use a phone, I leave the BT HS in the truck.
I'd rather look like a cheap borg imitation than hold that brick of a phone (i730) up to my head all the time, and using the wired HS just sux (except for the MP3s and streaming radio/TV)
Wait, What?
Back in the 1800's, the deaf actually used bone-conducting devices as hearing aids. They'd have a harp like instrument and it would have a mouth piece they'd bite into. The vibrations of sounds would be caught by the harp and then received by the listener through their teeth due to the bone conduction.
How is that relevant? I think it's very usefull.. and would love it for my MP3 player instead of wering a big headset to protect my ears!
If it'd be a bit more compact, I'd certainly go out and buy one and enjoy my music without worrying to lose my hearing before I'm 30.
I think we can keep recursing like this until someone returns 1