The recent introduction of Google Glass, which uses bone conduction to transmit sound, has sparked new interest in bone conduction technology (sending sound to the inner ear by vibrating the bones of the skull).
As part of a design competition, a team of students at Virginia Tech designed glasses which double as hearing aids. Designed to help the hearing impaired user blend in and feel as normal as possible, the “NuWave” glasses are a runner-up for the James Dyson Award.
The glasses feature Bluetooth capability, an induction charging pad, and a mobile app that acts as a remote control. The design is a prototype, and is seeking funding to continue production.
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The design sounds promising. It’ll be interesting to see if they are able to bring a finished product to market. Still not sure I’d get my ears gauged if these prototype hearing aids I wrote about in 2012 ever get out of the design phase, but they sure look cool!