Inspired by body language of animals (in particular squamates and porcupines), designer Jop Japenga created a headphone with an adaptive skin that responds to the music played on them – resembling a bird performing a mating dance.
The concept of his headphone was to make an public depiction of one’s frame of mind rather than a set of headphones that just reacted to the hits of every song. Inner atmosphere is communicated through a skin of reflective scales. Japenga used memory metal, an Arduino controller and custom electronic to create a working prototype with kinetic scales on the band that wave with either energetic or subtle force in accordance with the genre of music.
The headset was created last year as part of the Next Nature lab.
Hans
Oh hello there Sasha Grey!
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Spencer
I like the idea, and the design. Only downside is that it's not very responsive. I'd like to see it actually pulse to the music and quiver and shake. BUT, I imagine that would wear them out pretty quick. Plus, it's probably noisy. A bunch of noisy little actuators buzzing and twitching. I think it's an idea for the next 30 years, but a nice prototype or proof of concept.
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D.A.B's
No that is something new & old put to use I like the idea of using what is organic what is natural in the world that surrounds us and merging it with technology. It only makes sense to go in this direction now that every thing else has been done.
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Phrake
Nice one. Made me think of the 'Transparent OLED Headphones' Metatrend Institute came up with. http://www.yankodesign.com/2010/04/20/nice-see-cups-fashionably-loud-headphones/
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