Audio engineering and sound technology have come a long way. There have been a lot of developments to improve the quality of sounds so ears can hear them in a better way. As a result, there have been various inventions to conduct audio into eardrums, to encode/decode audio files, or to transmit them wirelessly. Audio experience for consumers is evolving with new technologies such as Bone Conduction, Bluetooth 5, BLE, Active Noise Cancellation, etc. However, these technological advancements are to improve or aid the hearing experiences. It’s about time that technology introduces a breakthrough for sounds with the Internet of Senses. Not just to improve the devices that create better sounds but to hear them clearly, from the device to the mind.
Consumer Expectation for Sounds With The Internet Of Senses:
Among all the senses, hearing is a sense that one can not control. The noise of vehicles in traffic jams, ambient noise in public places, or a child crying in the cinema can be exhausting. Noise is one of the most common reasons for not being able to focus on something entirely. As such, consumers have been tired of all the random noise pollution. They demand the choice to avoid the unwanted sounds and only accept what they want to hear. Consumers expect that by 2030 they will have control over what they hear as well as what others can hear from them. Hopefully, one can control the audios and sounds entirely with the Internet of Senses.
It’s not just limited to the choice of hearing. Consumers expect that they could direct how they sound in any language of their choice. 70% of those consumers expect that their earphones will automatically translate other languages. The Internet of Senses will allow users to sound like themselves in any language while talking to anyone in the world. Moreover, they also believe that they will be able to use someone else’s voice as well and mimic how they sound. The Internet of Things will alter the traditional way to hear anything and everything with specific interests. All while users have absolute power of how to sound themselves.
The Internet Of Senses: Future Of Hearable Devices
Customers expect that future audio products would provide the same as natural ambient sounds with the Internet of Senses. As such, the next-generation infotainment systems would allow the users to have a real-like experience in the digital world. One can imagine listening to the footsteps in a video game or even hear the character breathing. Users will be able to attend to multiple sounds and perceive them like they do in the physical world.
Furthermore, many users expressed that the Internet of Senses will eliminate the need for any earphones. They expect that a headband would send any sounds into the brain directly. Such an establishment will also eliminate any dependence on the eardrums so that a person with impaired hearing can now process any sound through the brain itself. This technology would be a breakthrough among all the hearing aid devices ever built.
Personal Sound Space: Hear Just What You Want
Another significant application that consumers can expect out of the Internet of Senses is to create a digital sound space. These personal sound bubbles would allow them to filter and hear what that they want to hear. Users can sit in a crowded bus and ignore any external noise as they watch their favorite movie. To take it to the next level, consumers wish to make more out of the voices that they hear. The ability to translate voices into physical sensations is one such example. Such abilities would allow the user with a beyond-nature experience.
Sounds Like Perfection
It is surprising how most of the development into technology has been circling around the sense of sight. An upgrade for developments into human hearing, taste, and smell has been long overdue. However, that gap creates a vast amount of interest for the R & Ds to explore these blank areas. Sound will be one of the areas where the new consumer products might replace old ones altogether. Users might hear sounds better than ever before. They will experience sounds with no loss or interruptions, directly from the source to the brain. The way things are listened to will evolve beyond the natural limits of sounds with the Internet of Senses.
