Sony Files for Skin-Powered Headphones Patent

Engineers at Sony are developing a set of wireless headphones that use a person's skin to transmit a signal between the headpiece and music source.

the hard way. Sony also said that Bluetooth would be considered for such a wireless headset, but despite its popularity the protocol poses its share of problems as well. As Bluetooth can broadcast a signal to distances of up to 30 feet, eavesdroppers could easily listen in to whatever was being played on audio source that the transmitter is connected to. And even with deliberate interference, a Bluetooth headset could be easily disrupted by errant Bluetooth signals from other devices in the immediate vicinity. As such Sony has taken the road less traveled, using the human skin for the first time ever as a transmission medium for consumer electronics. Whether consumers warm up to the notion of voluntarily sending electrical signals through their body remains to be seen, but it seems as though one key design flaw could make that a moot point. As indicated earlier, the system must be close to or in contact with the human body in order for the signal to be effective. While this would be a very useful technology for athletes, whom might wear their audio devices on an arm band or similar thing, the headset is rendered useless for users who don't stow their iPod on arm or in pocket. This appears to be a drastic price to pay in the interest of nixing a cable, which can only be so disruptive. Perhaps Sony is aiming this one specifically toward nano-equipped joggers and similar folk. But even if that's the case the whole thing begs the question - why not put out a product that's suitable for everyone? The very entity of the Playstation 3 may prove this to be a question that Sony is incapable of answering. Check out Sony's patent filing. Related Articles IBM Sues Amazon for Patent Infringement Transmeta Sues Intel Over $100 Billion in Chips IBM's Cell Processor: Not Just for PS3 Anymore Klimeo Keeps Fabrics Warm in Winter, Cool in Summer Sony Recall Could Extend Beyond Laptops *Originally published at TechFreep. Tag: Add to Del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit | Furl Bookmark murdok: Mike Zazaian is the Editor-in-Chief and Webmaster of

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