Imagine being able to tune out the sound of those dogs barking, or boosting the voice of your lecturer in class--that’s what this earphone's ‘augmented reality for audio’ can do
A company called Doppler Labs has developed a pair of earphones called the Hear One that can be tuned to amplify--or attenuate--specific sounds around you. So if you’re sitting in a park and need to get rid of the nearby traffic sound but keep the sounds of chirping birds around you, these headphones make it possible. Or if you’re at a Jazz concert and can’t quite hear saxophone solo, you can actually tune up the sound of that instrument to hear it better, in real time.
This ingenious technology can be thought of as an augmented reality for audio--a system that lets users tune the world around them as they please. When the company first demonstrated these earphones a few months ago, they weren’t capable of more practical functions like playing music or making calls over Bluetooth.
But that’s changed--in its most recent iteration, the Hear One headphones can be used as a regular pair of wireless earphones, but with the added ability to cancel or boost specific sounds in the world around. They are also built to function with digital assistants like Apple’s Siri and Google Now.
The earphones use a signal processing methodology consisting of ‘adaptive filters’ that enables tuning out specific types of sounds as opposed to tuning out specific frequencies. For example, the earbuds can now be tuned to recognize and process complex sounds like a person speaking, a baby crying, the hum of an aircraft engine and more.
These earbuds also integrate directional microphones that can be used to specifically eliminate sounds from a particular direction. Users can also save audio profiles for a customized listening experience via the bundled app. The earphones are rated to function for up to four hours on a single charge when used in the sound cancellation mode (up to six hours when used as regular Bluetooth headphones,) and come with a carry case that delivers two extra charges.
The Hear One earphones make for interesting uses like being able to have a discussion with your colleague in a noisy train, or listen to an alternate language soundtrack in a movie without others hearing it.
The Hear One is slated to be available in November and is expected to sell for $299 (approximately Rs 20,232) and can be pre-ordered on their website.
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