Bone conduction headphones available on the market will offer you the finest audio quality, whether in the gym, walking on the street, or running in the park, without compromising your safety, since your ears are always open to what’s happening in the surroundings. The ‘Vision’ Bone Conduction Headset is starkly different from the possible applications for which the technology is being used. It is designed not for music but for the autonomy of the visually impaired.

The interesting new concept headphones are designed to help the visually impaired lead a slightly more independent life. This device steps up as a companion that interacts with the wearer and serves as a guardian, providing the psychological comfort necessary for independent movement. “Vision is not just an assistive device, but a companion that supports visually impaired individuals in becoming independent and maintaining their self-esteem,” the designers note.

Designers: Kyungsung University Industrial Design Department KSID

Of course, with the evolution of technology, numerous types of assistive devices have been developed for the convenience of the visually challenged. The designers believe many of these devices are cumbersome and inconvenient to use. That along with inadequate safety infrastructure makes independent navigation difficult, which maybe a pair of bone conduction headsets can provide a slight improvement towards.

The minimalist pair of headphones is designed with the high reliance of the visually impaired on their sense of touch in mind. It integrates object recognition cameras with conversational AI technology to facilitate the open-ear bone conduction headset to identify objects and obstacles simultaneously conveying audible information for the user’s convenience.

By leveraging conversational AI technology to provide real-time feedback of the things picked by the mounted cameras on the way, and talking to the user about it all along the distance may actually help the users just like a human assistant would guide them through a busy street maybe. So the Vision is not just a navigation assistant, it is an interactive companion to have close to the ear, guiding all along the way.

Bone conduction technology allows the headset to sit close, but outside the ears, leaving the ears open to acquire ambient noises. On the design front, it features a dial and earcups with controls written in Braille. The former allows the user to adjust the size or rotate the headphones in the desired direction. The push of a tiny grove in its center resets the Vision to its original position. Excitingly the device comes draped in high-visibility colors, making them easy for anyone with partial blindness to locate. To further user convenience, it’s integrated with a magnetic charging slot, so that the person doesn’t have to struggle with precise alignment for insertion as is the case with charging ports available in our devices.

The post This bone conduction headset is not just an assistive device, it facilitates the visually impaired first appeared on Yanko Design.

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