Record a video of your ear, then send it to OwnPhones via app and get a pair of custom-made, 3D printed, wireless earbuds. Sound like a dream come true? Wait until you hear about the price: right now the fancy new earphones are running for $149 on Kickstarter.
According to Kickstarter, the earbuds “are custom designed to your personality and individual taste,” and “allows you to adjust noise cancellation levels for all environments.”
“We believe that earphones should not just look like a tech accessory,” Kickstarter says. “Since they’re like anything else we wear on our body, OwnPhones should reflect our style, taste and personality.”
If you check out the OwnPhones Kickstarter page, you can find some pretty crazy designs — anything from bejeweled, gold-painted earbuds to skull-shaped ones.
OwnPhones founder and CEO Itamar Jobani praises the earbuds as one of the first of its kind.
“OwnPhones represents a new paradigm in manufacturing — instead of producing millions of identical earbuds for different ears, we 3D-print earbuds tailor made to each user,” Jobani said on Kickstarter. “Ears are like fingerprints — each one is unique, so we were able to develop earbuds that are custom made to actually fit your ears properly.”
Using photogrammetry, OwnPhones creators take the video of your ear and uses algorithms to create a 3D model, from which the earbuds are created.
Jobani’s vision is similar to that of Normal’s CEO Nikki Kaufman, who also creates custom-made earbuds from 3D printers. (RELATED: These Custom-Made, 3D Printed Earphones Actually Stay In Your Ears)
“We’re extremely excited to launch Normal and fill a void in the market with tailor-made earphones that sound incredible,” Kaufman said in a press release. “Employing innovative technologies across 3D printing and mobile commerce, we’ve developed a product that is completely personalized for you.”
The only difference is, Normal earbuds aren’t wireless and are much more expensive (fancy $199 a pair?). OwnPhones are unique, integrating Bluetooth 4.0 technology to enable wireless connection via mobile app.
“OwnPhones gives you the freedom you need without the restriction of a cord,” the Kickstarter page says.
We’ve all experienced the deep frustration and fear that results from entangled earbud cords — wireless ones sound almost too good to be true, especially if they can be adjusted to cancel out white noise around you.
For now, OwnPhones is still raising money and putting the finishing touches on the development of their product. The first deliveries for the earbuds are expected in March 2015.
Watch the video below to see some of the wacky designs for these earbuds.
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