No. 495: Applying the bone conduction mechanism to a mobile phone (April 25, 2012)

Technology

The bone conduction mechanism is already applied to some telephone sets, but the existing technology asks the listener to put his ear over the receiver hard because it vibrates the whole telephone set. Rohm developed a technology to allow the listener to hear the voice on the mobile phone clearly using the bone conduction mechanism in alliance with Professor Hiroshi Hosoi of Nara Medical University.

It helps the listener hear the voice on the mobile phone clearer than a speaker system does even if disturbing noise surrounds him. When the listener has difficulty hearing the voice on the mobile phone, he can hear the voice clearly if he presses the edge of his mobile phone, in which an element that vibrates with voltage is incorporated, on his ear when surrounding noise prevents him from hearing the voice clearly. The company plans to market the technology to mobile phone and smartphone manufacturers both at home and abroad.    

Rohm's new technology to help the listener hear the voice on the mobile phone clearly using the bone conduction mechanism.  The company developed it in alliance with a professor of Nara Medical University.