What may look at first as a gadget for the hearing-impaired is actually a device that helps people filter unwanted noises in order to focus only on what they want to hear.
Enhancing the signal to noise ratio has become a very sought-after thing nowadays. There are many unwanted sounds that surround us, from car traffic and loud dogs to noisy neighbors and annoying muzak. Soundhawk developed a little gadget that could help us get rid of the unwanted bangs and booms, so all we’re left with is specifically the sound we’re looking for.
In an interview with Mashable, Soundhawk CEO Michael Kisch spoke about the target audience for this device: “It’s typically someone in their late 30’s to mid-60’s… what’s exacerbating the problem for them is they are experiencing really noisy environments throughout the day. As the environments get nosier our biology, our hearing, isn’t able to keep up with it.”
The entire kit includes only three pieces: the Scoop, a wireless microphone and a charging case. The Scoop’s ability to filter the noises is uncanny, as Kisch explained: “The sensation is you can get 35 feet away from someone, have 100 decibels of noise but it will feel like someone sitting next to you whispering in your ear.”
Best of all, the kit comes with an app that enables people to pinpoint the direction of the sound that should be picked up by the Scoop. The app even comes with four presets that refer to possible environments where the Scoop could prove useful. Bass level, pitch and frequency can be furthermore adjusted, in order to accommodate the preferences of the wearer. The customization degree of this device is really incredible, and it makes me wonder if some gadget could be invented for seeing only the things that we want to see. Or maybe in the Scoop’s case we could filter out the voice of the annoying people so that when they talk all we see is their mouth moving with absolutely no sounds coming out.
The device is currently available for pre-order on Soundhawk‘s website, and getting it will cost you $279. The recommended retail price is of $299, so if you think the Scoop is what you need to hear what interests you, you should probably pre-order it now.
The following video should give you an idea about how the Scoop and the wireless microphone work in real life:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMZnVE0j4es
Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the smartphone controlled Wi-Fi enabled LED bulbs and the Google Gesture armband that gives the speech-impaired a voice.
