A startup by the name of Doppler Labs is currently working on active listening devices. The central theme is to let the user control their immersive environment, by using wireless ear buds and a phone app.
The technology is named “Here” and was successfully funded on Kickstarter. The processing unit inside the headphones listens for the sounds and then modify’s them per user requirement, as CEO of Doppler Labs Noah Craft put it ” It’s like a recording studio on your head”. The purpose of these devices is pretty understandable as well, noise pollution is everywhere and while we have grown accustomed to these sounds, our ears have not. Traditional ear plugs just block all the noise but active ear plugs, tend to filter out only the unwanted noise such as the sound of subways, traffic or during concerts or sports games. Let’s say during a concert you want to pump the bass, well now it’s possible with the new technology. The algorithms in place specifically target certain frequencies thus resulting in smoother sound through the sound plugs.
People at TechCrunch covered Doppler labs here in this video
The trend of devices that augment our reality is getting higher and higher. Two startups by the name of Soundhawk and Nuheara have been working in the same domain as Doppler Labs. Soundhawk is already shipping it’s product via Amazon whereas Nuheara and Doppler have their products under development. It is clear by the advent of these startups that improving human experience using technology is the new trend. We have virtual reality glasses already making a storm with Facebook’s mega purchase of Oculus. It will be interesting to see what new ideas are thrown up by silicon valley!