Body modification fiend Rich Lee is experimenting with literal “in-ear” speaker solutions by surgically implanting small magnets into his ears and connecting them to a coil around his neck.
Rich Lee, 34, is a self-confessed “grinder” was inspired to create the bizarre audio accessories after watching an Instructables.com video about how to create “invisible earphones” using magnets, a coil and a small amplifier. Speaking to CNET, Rich Lee said: “So far so good. I have broken several devices over the past wee in an attempt to fine tune it.” The procedure was performed by famous body modification artist Steve Haworth, who is widely regarded in the body-mod community as a pioneer (no pun intended) and is even featured in the Guinness Book Of World Records as the “Most Advanced Body Modification Artist”, 1999 to present.
The implants sit in the bit of cartilage that sticks out in front of your ear hole (the bit “trendy” people get pierced) and works by connecting to a coil he wears around his neck, creating a magnetic field that carries sound into his ear when a sound device is connected to a small amplifier. The volume is then controlled by moving the coil closer to the magnets or by pushing the tragus closer to his ear drum – CIA style. But Lee admits that the sound quality doesn’t yet match that of traditional headphones, although it does allow him to discreetly listen to music at all times.
However, despite inferior music listening performance, Rich Lee has some interesting plans to link his in-ear modification to more gadgets including a GPS, Bluetooth, an ultrasonic range-finder for bat-style echolocation, and a “shirt-button” directional microphone to give him the ability to ear wig on people’s conversations from across a room.
But all of this modification isn’t just for the love of it, Rich Lee says he’s losing his sight and worries he may one day be blind so he’s hoping the modifications will help him replace his sight. “Echolocation is something I want to start practising with now because I might be legally blind soon,” he says, hoping that his modifications will help him create his own new set of senses.
Crazy!
