At the height of the iPod’s popularity, a common news item was a warning about how unsafe it was to wander around the big wide world with headphones stuffed into your ears. A lot of it was fear mongering, but to a certain extent, the degree to which someone’s awareness is impaired while concentrating on their music is a very real thing.
Instead of hijacking ear canals, the Bluetooth-enabled BUHUEL SG05 Soundglasses use the sensitive bones in the ear to transmit music or voice so that the user can be free to hear what needs to be heard. As a result, the Soundglasses thrive in high noise situations which require earplugs or similar safeguards or in situations where hearing loss is a problem. In addition to the bone conduction technology, the Soundglasses also incorporate a bi-directional, noise-canceling microphone to facilitate clear phone calls.
Interchangeable lenses offer both aesthetic and actual versatility, offering different colors and the ability to use prescription lenses. A wide variety of mostly active types will find use in the Soundglasses, even if it boasts only three hours of talk/listening time.
The $165 glasses are a bit more practical than something like the Narwhal, and as such, its $80,000 goal has already been achieved—more than twice over. Backers can expect theirs in June of this year.
ORA-X, on the other hand, are over-the-ear audio headphones equipped with a Google Glass-like retractable, see-through projection display. Virtual video content is overlaid on the display, but doesn’t block out the outside world like AR devices such as the Oculus Rift or SEER.