Other
Bone Conduction
Category
Other
Abstraction level
Primitive
Operation level
Application
Use cases
AI and AR glasses with audioOpen-ear sports headphonesAccessibility solutions (certain hearing losses)
How it works
A transducer pressed against the skull converts the audio signal into vibrations that travel through the bone to the cochlea in the inner ear, bypassing the outer ear and eardrum; the ears remain open to ambient sound.
Problem solved
How to deliver audio to the user without covering the ears and while keeping ambient sound audible?
Strengths & limitations
Strengths
✓Open ears — ambient awareness (safety)
✓Discreet audio in glasses without earbuds
✓Comfort for long wear
Limitations
✗Weaker sound quality (especially bass)
✗Sound leakage to surroundings
✗Lower loudness in noisy environments