Casio has a pair of earbuds that give you the “superpower” of hearing. That sounds like the minimum requirement for anything worn on the ears, but the earU ER-100 is interested in the sounds happening outside them. No, it is not a hearing aid, which would make it a medical device. Let’s just say it occupies an interesting gray area between ordinary earbuds and a hearing aid.
These open-ear, cuff-style Hearing Assist Earphones use microphones and digital processing to amplify surrounding sounds, making conversations easier to follow without plugging the ear canals. A companion app checks each ear and adjusts the sound accordingly, with modes for offices, restaurants, outdoor spaces, and meeting rooms. It is like transparency mode after some serious vocational training.
Each side weighs around 8 g (0.28 oz) and uses a nickel-titanium frame to stay attached. Casio also suppresses feedback and employs reverse-phase audio to reduce sound leakage, so helping yourself hear should not mean helping everyone nearby hear it too. Interchangeable accessories let you dress them up when plain hearing assistance lacks sufficient jewelry.
The ER-100 also handles music and calls, with up to 9.5 hours in Listening Mode or 14 hours while streaming. The ER-100 is certainly a product we never saw coming, let alone from a brand best known for watches and calculators—and, to some, electronic keyboards. Wait a minute… why does this feel like a gadget for eavesdropping, or perhaps listening in on someone who prefers to keep their conversation out of your ears? Food for thought, eh?
The Casio earU ER-100 launched in Japan for 49,940 yen with tax [JP] (around US$317).
Images: Casio [JP].