14 DAY TRIAL // As far as Kickstarter projects go, the one that Greenwing Audio posted might just be the most peculiar in recent history, given that it relies on your ability to bite stuff, but then again, it's not the first weird gadget found there.
The new item seeking funding on the crowd-sourcing project website is called Split and is a set of headphones that take wireless support and motion tracking to new levels.
The new earphones have an almost completely passive type of operation, or perhaps we should call it reactive instead.
After all, to make them work as you want, you don't actually need to press any buttons, just perform other actions.
First off, to turn them on, you just need to split them apart. Normally, they stick together, being magnetic and everything.
In a way, they are actually two MP3 players that play music at the same time, using radio waves to synchronize.
They also have built-in accelerometers that notice when you bite. Click your jaws once to change song, or click them twice in quick succession to change volume between mute, low, medium and high settings.
The Split comes closest to actual direct control when you want to eat and don't want the Split to start going haywire. Just tap the right earphone to lock the player settings and you're all set.
So far, the Split is just a prototype with 256 GB MB of storage space. Greenwing Audio needs at least $435,000 / €320,000 to get the idea off the ground.
It's a shame that the storage space is so low. It can only handle around 24 songs. At least there's a USB cord that can be used to transfer songs and recharge the Split. The company hasn't managed to get charging and uploading to work at the same time though, not yet anyhow.
The Split has a sound quality of 100 dB (better than 93dB CD quality) and 20 Hz – 20 KHz frequency response, plus intensity 100,000 louder than background noise. A pledge of $155/€113 will get you a set if the funding goal is reached.
