One day you might not have to worry about sticking your left and right earbuds in the correct ears. Because researchers have created a clever system that automatically adjusts the stereo mix depending on what side each bud is inserted.
The solution, created by researchers at the Igarashi Design Interfaces Project in Tokyo, is actually quite elegant. One of the headphone’s buds is equipped with a proximity sensor pointing in one direction. Depending on which side it’s inserted, it will either point towards the back, detecting the ear, or point towards the front, detecting nothing. From there it’s easy to tell which side is in which ear.
Combined with a small bit of switching circuity, the earbuds can then ensure the left and right sides of a stereo mix are properly sent to your left and right ears. The researchers even propose running a weak current from one side to the other, so the headphones know when only one is being worn. Which would facilitate features like sending a mono mix to each side when they’re being shared, or automatically pausing a track assuming you’ve removed one side to talk to someone. [New Scientist]
Rob
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 1:57 PMDon’t both speaker sides of the ear buds face towards you ear regardless of it’s the L/R bud?
I can’t wrap my head around how this can work but than again I’m pretty tired so maybe I’m missing the obvious.
Josh
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 3:06 PMClever. How much?
In the mean time I tie a loose knot on my left earbud cord just below the bud. Then without even looking I can feel which is left and which is right.
Kai
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 5:06 PMI think the best solution was that of Sony. One long cord (left, from memory) and one short cord.
Cord went from walkman up to your left ear and then around the back of your neck to your right ear.
That way you could also sling the cord around the back of your neck when you weren’t listening and leave the headphones dangling.
andrew
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 11:29 PMclever yes but the main point of having L/R specific buds is fit. plus, people who are too lazy to check which bud is L/R are not going to pay for this solution.
Jonathan
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 8:36 PMWhy don’t you have a button in each earbud (pressure sensor) and to set it correctly, you always insert the left (for example) earbud first?
Chodelay
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 2:08 PMWhy don’t YOU put a button in each earbud (pressure sensor) and sell it as a competing product?