Having customers build their own cheap furniture helped IKEA build an empire. So a Canadian company hopes the same approach will work when it comes to custom-fitted earbuds.
When using earbud-style headphones, you typically want to block any other sounds from coming in, and the most effective way to do that is with a custom set designed to perfectly fit your ear. But those are also very expensive, so most consumer make do with the included silicon inserts that fit well enough.
Sharkfin’s approach takes advantage of the years we all spent mashing up wads of Play-doh as kids. For $US5 you get a set of grey and black soft-squishable material that when combined, chemically react to form a flexible silicone that won’t lose its shape.
Once you’ve mashed them together you only have five minutes to roll the material out into a snake, wrap it around your earbud, and then stick it in your ear. But once it’s hardened you’re left with custom fitted earbuds which only cost you $US5. They don’t exactly look amazing, but for $US5 who cares as long as they work as promised. [Sharkfin]
Vebi
Friday, January 13, 2012 at 12:48 PMThere are already products on the market that claim to do this. Many fall apart during the moulding process, leaving bits in your ear that require some pretty careful extraction (sometimes in hospital). I’d be very cautious before buying one.
Sevrin
Friday, January 13, 2012 at 1:07 PMThat second image looks like it demonstrates your point!
Tom
Friday, January 13, 2012 at 1:12 PMI’ve had two sets from the following website http://earfuze.com, they’re easy to mould, nothing came off and the sound quality with the supplied earphones is fine for my uses, which is mainly on my motorbike. Not $5 but still a lot less than professionally made ones.
Dave
Monday, January 16, 2012 at 9:59 AMsugru anyone?