Since the advent of the amplifier, technology has played an integral role in the way we listen to music. Headphones have gone from massive to minor, wired to wireless, and now from ear covering to ear free.
Studio Banana Things have now taken things a step further, creating the futuristic music gear you see in the picture above, called the Batband.
Unlike other headphones, the Batband works via bone conduction: it creates vibrations on your outer skull, sending sound directly into your inner ear, allowing you to listen to your music while leaving your ‘outer ear’ free to hear everything else going on in the world.
Whilst this technology has been in use for years - for instance in some hearing aids - the Batband promises to give users a high-quality audio experience made purely for listening to music and taking phone calls.
Unlike other devices, the vibrators are placed above the ear - on your temporal bone - rather than directly in front, while a third transducer is placed on the back of the head - on your occipital bone - giving the band a some-what futuristic look directly out of Star Wars.
How the Batband technology works
The studio say it will allow “you to hear twice as much, without compromising on comfort, quality or style.”
Other features include a touch-sensitive interface that allows you to swipe left and right to change song, volume and answer phone calls.
read more: How London turned into the global centre of music technology
The project remains in development, but you can pre-order a Batband by pledging money to their Kickstarter. Studio Banana Things have currently already smashed their $150,000 target with over 40 days to go.
