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Student Designer
University Product Description and Principal Function(s) The Aura headset is a personal audio device that uses bone conduction instead of traditional speakers. Bone conduction speakers resonate the users skull, which is picked up by the cochlea and is interpreted as sound. The aura headset does not cover the users ears, meaning they can hear vital auditory sounds going on around them. The design aims at the corporate cool market, with a resin body that has clean, strong and feminine lines. Other features include the device having four speakers to maximise the volume potential, wireless bluetooth and infra-red solar power to charge the device.Why does the product represent design excellence and why do you believe it deserves an Australian Design Award? Have you ever been sitting next to someone with their iPod turned up so loud, that you can hear the music as clear as them? Or alternatively been listening to your music at work and jumped out of your seat when a co-worker comes from behind and tapes you on the shoulder? Maybe you work in an environment where you need to listen out for warning signals, yet you want to listen to music while you work. Perhaps you are jogging down the road listening to your favourite tunes, can you hear that bike approaching from behind?The Aura headset is a device that enables the user to both listen to music and hear the surrounding environment. This is possible because of bone conduction technology, where sound is transferred though the users bones leaving the ear canal free from obstruction. Using a speaker that is pressed against the users jaw bone or mallus bone (behind the ear), vibrations are passed through the skull and into the cochlea where the vibrations are converted into sound waves. This means that when the device is in use only the user wearing it can hear the music being played. Furthermore because earpieces or speakers do not block the ears, external auditory sounds can still be heard. Meaning that, a user can have a conversation, without turning off the music or taking off the headset. Another benefit from using this device is that the damage that can be caused is minimal compared to current personal audio devices. Currently audio speakers reach 110-125 decibels, this volume causes both temporary and permanent damage to the cochlea. The Aura headset works in such a way that at it cannot reach these levels, because at this level it would just vibrate the skin not penetrate though the bones. However, when users do suffer from hearing loss (middle ear) they can use this device instead of regular speakers. Because unlike regular speakers, bone conduction bypasses the middle ear, allowing the users to listen to music directly though the cochlea. The design targeted the ‘Corporate Cool’ market because majority of new technology is aimed towards this user group. The style incorporates clean lines, quality materials and a mixture of metal, glass and dark gloss plastic. Using these qualities the Aura headset was styled directly for this market, however its function does spill over into different fields, such as sporting, emergency services and communicative services. Aura has no connecting cords nor any power plugs, instead its uses bluetooth to send information from the multimedia player to the headset. Furthermore the headset is charged by infra-red solar power. This technology is still in its development stages yet is proving to be more efficient, more workable and able to produce energy from more sources. The headset has four speakers, increasing volume to the user because one speaker can only produce so much sound. These speakers sit above and below the cochlea, which gives the user a much clearer and louder perception of the sound. |
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