Google Applies for Patent on 'bone conduction'; Likely for Google Glass Audio

[dgstorm]

Speakers? We don't need no stinking speakers! That's what Google might be saying with Project Glass, aka Google Goggles. Apparently, they just filed a patent application for a "bone conducting" design that will transmit audio in a unique way using a "vibration transducer" to help keep your conversations private. Industry speculation suggests Project Glass will be the likely target for this invention. Here's a quote with some additional detail,

Unlike earphones, which others can hear at certain volumes, bone conduction brings complete privacy and is more convenient. With the inclusion of at least one "vibration transducer," there is no need for the user to have direct contact with the speaker on the device. Instead, the ear hooks and the nose pad, which do touch the user, will be used to pass any vibration-based audio to the person wearing a Google Glass unit.

Last month, the chatter around the device was that it was designed to send audio directly to the mastoid process. The patent application is for a "Wearable computing device with indirect bone-conduction speaker." Of course, this doesn't mean that Google Glass will include the bone conduction method to pass along audio, but with the patent application, it means that Google has been working on such a system. And it actually seems that bone conduction technology would be a perfect fit for Google Glass.

Will the wonders of modern technology ever fail to amaze?

Source: PhoneArena

 

[comk4ver]

Has anyone read Orson Scott Card's speaker of the dead?
The protagonists wears a "jewel" which is like an earing. Just saying that eventually it might be like that.

 

[NeoPhoenixTE]

Anyone who's played Metal Gear Solid will be making a ton of Codec jokes over this, I'm sure.

 

[52brandon]

kinda like a reverse jabra... pretty cool. I'm definitely gonna have to at least try it out

 

[johnomaz]

I want this in the form of a bluetooth earpiece. One that sits behind the ear so it contacts the cranial bone behind the ear (a great place for bone contact FYI). I hate normal bluetooth headsets. They look stupid and suck (for me at least, I have very oddly sized ear holes that don't work well with any head phones).

 

[kodiak799]

It would be pretty cool, for those of us who wear glasses, to have the bluetooth "speaker" wired in. And hit everyone else with sunglasses. Potential for this patent to be hugely valuable.

 

[jseah]

I want this in the form of a bluetooth earpiece. One that sits behind the ear so it contacts the cranial bone behind the ear (a great place for bone contact FYI). I hate normal bluetooth headsets. They look stupid and suck (for me at least, I have very oddly sized ear holes that don't work well with any head phones).

Maybe you need to get standard ears.... (just kidding)

 

[Ophus]

I'm not sure how they can get a patent for this. It's been around for a long time. My daughter has had a music player for years, that she uses during swim practice and is bone conduction technology.
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[kodiak799]

I'm not sure how they can get a patent for this. It's been around for a long time. My daughter has had a music player for years, that she uses during swim practice and is bone conduction technology.
SwiMP3 Waterproof MP3 Player | FINIS

They can still patent their design/construction/mechanics, rather than the concept.