Headset lets you hear twice as much - 2008

01 July 2008

A QUT student project that lets you listen to two things at the same time has been named a finalist of a national award for design.

The unique headset designed by Leo Kanas allows you to listen to music through your jawbone or skull while simultaneously listening to the world around you, all with the slick look of "corporate cool".

Leo said his concept headset, called AURA, could be connected to any music source via an easy to use Bluetooth transmitter.

"I came up with the idea one day when I wanted to be able to listen to some background music while I was sitting in a lecture," Leo said.

"AURA is based on 'bone conduction', which works on the principle of hearing sound through the vibrations in the bones of your head, like the sound you hear when you grind your teeth.

"The headset vibrates your skull, which in turn vibrates your cochlear. The vibrations are not noticeable to feel, but they are sensed by the cochlear as sound.

"While the technology itself isn't new, it hasn't been widely utilised and I have tailored it to the young, trendy, corporate cool look."

Leo said the result is being able to hear everything around you while listening to music.

"It's stranger than you actually think," he said.

"It's like having your own movie soundtrack.

"It's not very distracting. Depending on what you want to listen to, you can zone in or out on either the person you are listening to or the music."

Leo created the design while undertaking the Graduate Diploma of Industrial Design at QUT, from which he formally graduated this year.

He was named a finalist in the Australian Design Award - Dyson Student Award, which recognises innovative design.

Media contact: Rachael Wilson, QUT media officer, 07 3138 1150 or rachael.wilson@qut.edu.au. **High res images available