In a mass-manufactured world, nothing quite fits the individual. Thankfully, 3D printing is stepping in as a modern savior in this bleak, cookie cutter, dystopian future. No longer will your shoes fit just a little too snugly. You won’t have to buy pants that are 36W 30L when your actual size is something more like 35.5W 29L. And, with OwnPhones, you’ll be able to wear a pair of earbuds that situate properly in your ears. Just yours!
OwnPhones, as you might imagine, are 3D printed, wireless earbuds that are designed to fit into your ears perfectly. Using a mobile app, users will be able to scan their ears by recording a short video and, with photogrammetry software, the company will be able to 3D print personally-tailored headphones. Customers will have the option of printing their earbuds in a variety of materials and colors – such as plastic, gold, and silver – and they’ll have the ability to add customized designs as well. You’ll even be able to indicate your most preferred form of exercise, such as mountain climbing, and the company plans to use motion capture data and mechanical simulation to best design your earbud for the activity.
OwnPhones will also be more intelligent than your traditional headphones (though I’d feel bad calling other earbuds “dumb”). Wearers will have the ability to adjust the sound seal of the device to let in ambient noise, for picking up important street sounds, or completely block out external noises altogether. The earbuds will also feature a status indicator light, ranging from green to yellow to red to indicate whether or not you can interrupt the wearer’s listening experience. Perfect for angsty teens!
Founder and CEO of OwnPhones, Itamar Jobani, explains where the idea came from, “Normal earphones hurt because they pressure the ear, and if they don’t pressure, they fall out. The custom-fit OwnPhones earbuds feel perfect while jumping and running, for example.” He tells CNET, “Ears are like fingerprints — each one is unique, so it is time that consumers were able to get earbuds that actually fit their ears properly.”
The company plans to launch on Kickstarter in July, with a campaign goal of $250,000. The anticipated cost of having earbuds made just for you range from $399 to $449, but the company plans to offer a 50% discount to those who get in on the campaign early. So, if you’re itching to get the early-bird price, you may want to head over to the OwnPhones website and sign up to get notified when the campaign launches.
