Bone conduction: a different way of listening – EYESEEMAG

Winning a gold medal in the Lépine competition in 2016 for the creation of their bone conduction headsets, Aftershokz is a Chinese business who, having previously collaborated with Google on the first Google Glass model, have since been developing audio systems for sports glasses that will become available under the name of Optishokz Revvez. The principal is simple: transducers fit on the end part of the titanium frame and are wrapped around the ears. The glasses use Bluetooth (version 4.2) to connect to your smartphone so the wearer can listen to music, audio and make calls. These can be controlled via buttons fitted onto the right hand side of glasses, where you will also find the device’s charging point.

Fitted with a microphone on both sides, the sporty-style glasses also allow the wearer to make use of voice-assistive technology such as Siri and Google Assistant and the battery life lasts for up to 6 hours of continued usage. They are currently available in 5 colours: (polarized grey, transparent, shaded grey, yellow and orange), and the polycarbonate lenses are interchangeable. The certified IP55 model is lightweight (weighing only 48 grams) and is also water and dust resistant with UV400 protection, uses TR90 nylon for its frame and has a rubber fitting around the nose. The glasses are currently priced at $179.

Based in California, the company Zungle have also created sunglasses that use bone conduction, but, using a more fashionable style inspired by Ray-Ban’s classic Wayfarers, will perhaps appeal to a greater number of people. Their second model, called the Zungle V2 Viper, works using Bluetooth 5.0, has a IPX4 certification, meaning they are both sweat and water resistant, weigh 50 grams and can last for up to four hours of wireless battery life. Three colours are currently available for their plastic frames (white, black and grey) and the polarised, polycarbonate UV400 protection lenses come in eight different colours. The transducers are placed behind the temples and the command buttons are situated on the side of the frames.

Bone conduction glasses are also available from other brands, such as the Alien 5 model by the Chinese company VocalSkull. The price ranges from 85 to 199 euros, depending on the exact model.