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Buhel SOUNDglass

Sunglasses just got smarter

T

he release of Google Glass helped the w

whole lot of attention, but the fi nished

mark with a lot of consumers. Dodgy so

a high price tag meant plenty of potential use

it and looked to fi nd a real alternative. Howev

Buhel looks to breathe new life into the fi eld a

takes a more cost-effective approach to eyew

rather than copying some of the fantastic des

that have come before it.

The SOUNDglass’s defi ning feature is the

bone-conducting drivers that can be used t

transmit a variety of sound. Users can liste

favourite tracks, while also being able to co

GPS system to listen to voices, traffi c and a

wires. Alerts will help navigate you through

reroute you if necessary. Atellani Projects w

campaign for the Buhel SOUNDglass on Kic

NEW TECH Audio sunglasses

At a glance

» Product name Buhel SOUNDglass

» Available from http://www.buhel.com

» Price $

Stylish sunglasses that use

bone-conducting technology to help

make listening to audio and mapping

instructions a completely hands- and

wire-free experience.

Users will be able to get

directions and routes through

audio directions. It saves having

to set up the same route on a

mapping app

There are a variety of different

styles and colours that users can

choose from when purchasing a

pair of SOUNDglass sunglasses.

Some are better suited for

different situations

The thin side frames of the

SOUNDglass contain dual

bone-conducting drivers, which

will emit sound when pressed

against your head

Use the Bluetooth function to make

and receive phone calls without

needing to use your phone to

control the conversation

How did the original idea of the Buhel

SOUNDglass come about?

A

Our inspiration was safety and ease of

use. We were and are concerned when

seeing so many people using the phone in

dangerous conditions, whether it was while

they were driving, or trying to cross the road.

The SG05 [SOUNDglass] answers a lot of

these worries and keeps the user’s hands

away from their phone.

It’s important to note that we’ve dabbled in

this area before. We’ve had great success

previously with the SG04 glasses. Although a

little more basic than the SG05s, they offered a

great basis for us to work from.

Did you struggle to pack some much

functionality in to such a slender design?

A

Thiswasnotaneasyfeat,butwiththehelpof

an Italian design firm and lot and lots of

prototypes we are quite satisfied with the results.

It’s obviously important to fit in everything we

needed,butitwasofparamountimportanceto

makesurethatthedesignwasuptothesamelevel.

The glasses ultimately ended [up] being as thin as

we want and we didn’t have to compromise on any

of the features we were looking to include.

How does the Bone Conduction

Technology in the new glasses work?

A

We feature two patented Bone Conduction

drivers that optimise hearing. You’ll find that

most devices only ever use one, so we’re

especially pleased we managed to get two drivers

into the tiny frame of the SG05s. The position

and shape of the drivers is also ideal for what

we were looking to achieve. It’s quite

staggering the results we were able to get

from the glasses. In particular, we were really

impressed with the quality we found in the

microphone, which was vastly superior to

most smartphone microphones.

What do you think are some of the key

differences between the Buhel

SOUNDglass and similar products?

A

There are really no other glasses on the

market that perform like the SG05 do.

There are other devices that use bone

conduction, but they’re usually limited in

scope and practicality.

We feel that we combined several functions

in one device and for noticeably cheaper than

some of the competition that’s currently on

the market.

Q & A

CEO of Atellani Projects

John Speed