A Wearable Noise Filter Lets Cellphones Be Heard

Source: Tim Gnatek - New York Times

A new cellphone headset can help you find some quiet in a noisy world. The Jawbone from Aliph senses and counteracts ambient noise while enhancing intended sound, making it easier to communicate in loud places.

It does this by means of technology shared between two wearable parts. In the rectangular, brushed-metal headset, a voice-activity sensor detects intended sound through jaw and cheek vibrations. Two small microphones monitor ambient noise.

A companion control clip attaches to a shirt or belt. A signal processor in the clip filters out extraneous sound 500 times a second, according to Aliph, while increasing the clarity of incoming audio.

Aliph based the device on speech-processing technology developed for communication in very noisy environments. Though the military uses the technology, Aliph's Jawbone design is hardly drab. The form came from Yves Béhar, a San Francisco industrial designer whose products - including the Jawbone - are on view at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

The headset costs $150 and is available at www.jawbone.com. Jawbone currently works with Nokia, Ericsson and Motorola phones; the company says additional units, including a Bluetooth model, will be available soon.

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