These Headphones Will Watch Your Feet
(Courtesy of Parrot)
Headphones aren’t just for music anymore.
At least, not when it comes to the Zik Sport. The new set of ultra-light, foldable headphones has the ability to track your pace, heart rate, oscillation (the frequency that your head bobs up and down while you run), and the impact of your left versus your right foot on the ground.
The Zik Sport will come with its own iOS app, to help you plan and track your workouts. (Daniel Bean/Yahoo Tech)
Ultimately all that hyper-tracking is meant to teach you about your body’s unique ticks and tendencies, and help you avoid injuries.
The headphones were announced Sunday by Parrot, the French company that’s known largely in the US for its drones. Though the gadget still needs some work and is not yet priced, the company plans on releasing it later this year.
But how exactly can a pair of 70-gram headphones measure your heart rate? The Zik Sport is equipped with a special biometric sensor that’s hidden beneath its rubber earbuds. A light is shines into your ear, and an optical sensor measures the modulation in your blood as it runs through your ear canal. As a result, it’s able to discern your heart rate.
(Daniel Bean/Yahoo Tech)
The headphones are designed to monitor your bodily movements, but they’re also meant to be extra comfortable while you’re exercising. While famed French designer Phillip Starck was developing the Zik Sport for Parrot, he recognized that people enjoyed wearing wireless earbuds, but often felt a soreness from the pressure it caused in their ear canals. These headphones redistribute that pressure via a sweat-resistant, patented headband made of two little pads that rest on each side of your head. It turns out that this is more comfortable and just as secure. I tried them on, and after weaving and bobbing around, the they barely budged.
The Zik Sport headphones weigh just 70 grams and are specially designed to avert pressure from inside your earbuds. (Daniel Bean/Yahoo Tech)
Since these are made for runners, the headphones also have a feature that allows you to adjust the amount of outside noise you’re hearing. So you can choose to cancel it all out, or turn it to “street mode” so you can hear incoming obstacles while you’re navigating the city streets.
Unfortunately I wasn’t able to test the sound quality of the earphones. Even if I did, it probably wouldn’t have been helpful in an insanely loud conference room anyway. These headphones may be very good at tracking your every move, but what about playing Skrillex as loud as possible, without distortion? We’ll have to wait and try the production models before we can judge. We also hope this gear isn’t too expensive. Parrot’s previous Zik headphones sold for $399.
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