This design is a prototype on display at the V&A. The design was created for the HEARWEAR show at the V&A in London that runs until March 2006
This is what it does:
- there are four pick-ups for each can and they reconstruct the sound in 3-D in the cans to give directional sound
- each ear is individually configurable for different levels and types of hearing deficiency
- there is selective noise reduction as you'd expect
- the headphones are bluetooth enabled and thus work with a cellphone / VOIP and the following accessory devices
- the badge is effectively a radio-mic so in noisy environments the wearer can pin the badge on the person they're speaking to in order to get better quality local sound. The badge inlay can be easily changed to suit the taste of the user
- the silver box is a bluetooth comms device that pipes sound through to the WEARHEAD*PHONE. This little box of tricks can be patched into TV's ipods, dvd's etc either for group or solitary situations so the sound can be piped directly to the listener. It comes with mini-jack, twin phonos and a optical digital connector
- concert venues, cinemas, theatres etc could all broadcast a wireless signal so that the wearer of these devices can get a sound level and quality that suites their particular requirements
- The WEARHEAD*PHONE comes with a choice of covers, including the fluffy winter cover (looks like ear-warmers)
this isn't supposed to be a fix for everyone with hearing difficulties. it's aimed at the kind of people who would proudly wear their big cans in the street, the type of person who's into their music enough to want to shut out the outside world (which means quite a lot of people). The younger end of the spectrum are huge music and media consumers and socializers. the WEARHEAD*PHONE makes it more possible to engage fully in a lot of these and related activities whilst looking very much the part
PRESS
BBC