Waterproof MP3 Player Uses Bone Conduction

An anonymous reader writes "Aquatic training product manufacturer Finis has just released a waterproof digital music portable for swimmers and surfers that claims to solve a problem with such devices in the water. Regular earphones don't work well because they need an uninterrupted air channel to function. What makes the SwiMP3 unique is that it uses bone conduction to stimulate the inner ear and deliver sound."

Not new

[WhatsAProGingrass]

This may be new to the MP3 world, but this method is nothingnew.

"The BAHA is a surgically implantable system for treatment of hearing loss that works through direct bone conduction. It has been used since 1977, and was cleared by the FDA in 1996 as a treatment for conductive and mixed hearing losses in the United States. In 2002, the FDA approved its use for the treatment of unilateral sensorineural hearing loss." from here [umm.edu]

Bonephone radio reprise

[AndroidCat]

The Bonephone idea seems to pop up every few years (back to the 70s at least) and never seems to catch on.

I can't see listening to music in the pool being a killer-app for it, but maybe the RIAA lawyers won't want to get their suits wet coming in after you.

Old news, used to be "swim-band"

[Anonymous Coward]

And it was done in the 80's. For awhile they were hocked on uhf channels before dissapearing completely from the marketplace, about a decade ago. There was a "design" patent on file for the thing, though it may well have expired by now. And yes, it was cool to listen to music underwater.

This is just another example of...

[igrp]

... military technology eventually being used in civilian applications. The SEALs have used bone conduction for a while now. And according to the Navy Wire Service [navy.mil] this technology has already been transfered to other fields, namely, to be used by emergency response personell. So this is just the next step...

Bone conduction is actually a pretty good idea: the ear drum is too close to the density of the water to stop any sound wave when in immersion. The bones are hard enough to stop the fast sound waves though. Basically the bones from the neck and skull resonate and carry the vibrations.

Re:But how deep?

[RangerRick98]

Gizmodo [gizmodo.com] pointed out [gizmodo.com] that they didn't mention any depth information in their press release, so it probably isn't designed for diving.

This is NOT unique!

[Systems Curmudgeon]

A product that was poorly marketed in the late 1970's was called the "Bone Phone." It was a walkman-style audio player intended for runners, and you heard the music through your bones (no earpiece). I believe it was invented by a Princetonian. If any patents are claimed on this, there is prior art! - systems curmudgeon, AKA: The Precision Blogger http://precision-blogging.blogspot.com

IDEA NOT NEW

[gp310ad]

Bone Fone [pocketcalculatorshow.com] is a 70's example employing acoustic conduction through the body as opposed to the evolutionary air to ear route.

WW-II AT&T 'throat microphone' also made use of 'conductued' sound and it was common for early (20's) radio operators to place their headphones on skull or jaw behind ears rather than over ears. This afforded some degree of 'automatic volume control', protected them from loud static crashes, and made it easier to discern a weak signal when near a strong one.

Back when I swam a lot we puT speakers inside plastic bags and hung them ver the side of the pool. It was OK when both ears were under water but not practical for listening while swimming. Combined with speakers above the water it wasn't much better. Swimming is pretty noisy and indoor pool acoustics generally suck.

Re:But how deep?

[se2schul]

Perhaps they just haven't considered the possibiliies that the bone conductive technology offers them. A scuba diver shouldn't put headphones in the ear, since the water pressure could force them into the ear causing damage (much the same reason a diver can't use ear plugs). With this bone conductive technology you could eliminate that problem. I'd imagine that all that would have to be done is to put the player in a pressure vessel, much like the underwater housings used for video cameras.

Not unique or new...

[olympus_coder]

The H2Audio underwater mp3 system as been out for scuba diving for a while (a year?) and uses a hydrophone I beleive. They sit on the outside of the ear (you can't put anything in the ear as changing pressure might force it into the ear).

Oceanic Scuba Equipment [oceanicworldwide.com]

Return of the Bonephone

[litac]

Yeah, yeah - others have mentioned it, but my first thought when I saw the headline was - someone else is trying to bring back 70's tech. I remember first seeing ads for the Bonephone in Omni Magazine. They were marketed as the geek's alternative to the uber-cool Walkman. The version I recall was a long flat unit that you wore around your neck, with the sound emitters resting one your collar bone. I also seem to recall that it was pulled from the market because people were experiencing bone damage (spontaneously breaking collar bones, etc), but that might be urban myth.

Re:It looks weird, but

[Big Nothing]

Police and military units have used bone conducting equipment for quite some time for this particular reason; it doesn't block external sound, it works in noisy environments and it prevents eavesdropping.

This particular product, however, seems (from the pictures in TFA) to be placed in front of the ears, and would therefore block external sounds. It might meet the two other criterion, though.

Re:Where

[Anonymous Coward]

RTFA, or at least, look at the pictures included WITH the article- It's strapped to the head - no pockets necessary

Re:Not new

[cmcguffin]

Ahhh, shades of the Bone Fone [pocketcalculatorshow.com]!

Remember, kids, it's a "new concept in sound technology that may revolutionize the way we listen to stero music"!

Today's marketing wonks have nothing on their late-70s brethren.

Re:Creepy sounds in my head!

[drinkypoo]

Nice try, but speakers are more popular than headphones for two reasons, and neither of them are that sound seems to come from somewhere. The first is that in-ear headphones tend to make the ear sore (unless you have expensive custom molded headphones) and headphones can only be two or at most three of the following things: Wireless, inexpensive, lightweight, or good quality. On the other hand, it's pretty easy to get decent quality speakers, as long as you're not looking for the super loud type, which are fairly small (Cambridge soundworks, anyone? though they're not so useful since they were acquired by creative) and inexpensive. Headphones are annoying in any form. People spend a lot of money to get immersive sound, they want the sound to be all around them. Headphones do provide that, but they're annoying. Personally, I'm looking forward to cochlear implants with an encrypted digital connection :P

Re:RTFA?

[nodnarb]

Perhaps building the player into the silly little cap that she's wearing in the picture (found here [mp3newswire.net] for anyone else who's not quite smart enough)

Swimman waterproof player

[kfstark]

From the non-audiofile swimmer perspective, I just want something to listen to and don't care about the difference in sound quality as long as it sound decent.

I just received my waterproof MP3 player from swimman and it is a nice little unit that can clip to your goggle strap. I haven't had a chance to try it in the pool because of the rain, but I am looking forward to it.

My only complaint is that I would like to listen to audiobooks from iTunes, but they are in the wrong format for the device and hymn doesn't handle large audiobook files well.

--Keith

Re:gmail invites

[MBraynard]

fyi - these are not gmail invites. Do not view them.