Invisible Headphones Are As Weird And Awesome As They Sound

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00:00 Yes, you read that title correctly. The newest audio innovation at CES 2022 is in-ear audio

00:06 delivered over the air. CES is the best place to uncover unusual tech innovations and this

00:13 year's show is no different, with one company launching what it calls "invisible headphones".

00:19 Looking a little like a mini soundbar, the Novetto N1 is a rather novel audio device

00:24 that uses beamforming technology to create a binaural audio experience without the need

00:29 for a pair of headphones, but unlike a soundbar, this audio can only be heard by the user's

00:34 own ears. It works by transmitting ultrasound silently through the ear, which converges

00:40 into audible pockets just outside of your ears, creating an experience similar to wearing

00:45 a pair of headphones. According to Novetto, anyone else in the room will only be able

00:49 to hear a whisper of sound, while the user is immersed in three-dimensional spatial audio.

00:54 Should you move or turn your head, motion sensors allow for facial recognition, helping

00:58 the N1 to track your ears and ensure the sound hits the right spot. How accurately this all

01:21 works in real life still remains to be seen. As we aren't attending CES 2022 in person

01:27 this year, we haven't been able to test the N1 for ourselves, but you can bet that

01:31 we can't wait to get our hands on it. To up the smart factor even more, Novetto have

01:35 also decked out the N1 with that smart voice recognition lady from Amazon, and this works

01:40 in tandem with the device's face recognition technology. Novetto says that when you look

01:44 at the N1, the device will recognize your face and engage with you, offering suggestions

01:49 based on personal profiles. For instance, it will be able to tell you how many emails

01:53 you still have in your inbox, although hopefully that feature can be disabled. Right now there's

01:59 no word on how much the N1 will cost, but Novetto says it will begin shipping in the

02:04 middle of this year.

02:17 [music]