I have been working on a project to use some DIY bone conduction "headphones" to do directed noise canceling because I'm on the autistic spectrum and loud places bug the shit out of me and make it so i can't focus. Bone conduction is neat because it works inside your head and doesn't cover your ears. I think BC noise canceling is really under explored for audio related stress issues.
I'm putting a mic on the back of my head to pull the room then stereo directional mics out front to actively noise cancel the room but not the person I'm looking at in a cone that I can fiddle with. Initial tests seem to work! I'm trying to improve it with a crossover for low frequency on the jaw just under my earlobes and a mid/high driver on my temple. I think even a commercial setup for bike riders and some experimentation you might be able to find some relief. I've found them to be lacking in lower frequency which is why I'm using stronger drivers and the below the ear positioning.
Might be something to try playing with. It's pretty inexpensive. I'm using "Surface Transducers" from Adafruit and an STM32F4 Discovery board to process the noise canceling (has great FFT libs). All in my current setup is maybe $150 with a couple iterations under my belt.
Are you eventually going for an external "headphone" system, a transdermal solution, or actual implants similar to BAHA hearing aids or the DIY transducer implants some of the grinder community have installed, or perhaps even piercings in the tragus?
I have no interest or ability to build surgical implants. Purely over you skin. I've read about people with hearing damage loving bone conduction over regular headphones. It's been described as miraculous by some. Obviously hearing loss is complex and that's not for everyone.
What is the grinder community? I assume not the gay dating app, I don't think that has a scene for cyberpunk body mod, but I could be wrong.
I linked to the drivers in another comment below. I think I can find better ones, but they are the most powerful I've been able to find and have good frequency response. They are also HUGE so with my test rig I look pretty silly wearing them.
Personally, I've been a member of https://biohack.me since more or less its inception but I have yet to undergo any surgery. That will change soon, and transducer earphones are second on my list.
Can you point me at information about these subdermal transducers you're looking at installing in your head? That sounds insane, but I kind of want some.
The general consensus, after much experimentation, is that the targus isn't the best site because it just doesn't conduct loudly enough. Direct bone conduction via surgery of course works well, but then there is still the issue of power and amplification.
There's been talk in the past about a non-permanent dermal retainer that could do the same thing, and this could potentially be an all-inclusive package if done correctly. That's something I'd like to look into when I have the tools and money.
The targus and the temple are totally mid and high range. Try putting a 20W amped transducer on your jaw below your earlobe. You get VERY immersive sound. I see no way the targus implant could be worth it. I also don't see a way to put an implant on the jaw that would work because it's moving.
The spread between mid/high on the temple/targus and mid/low on the jaw are crazy though. When you have both it is full imaging that includes a space with a frustum inside your head.
Thanks for the body mod info! If you are looking at the implants I would highly suggest tying these positions I'm suggesting. I don't think it's worth the risk for the output!
There is a wide range of transducers out there, if you start digging around the units can be hard to find. Sometimes they are called Exciters. This company PUI Audio makes a bunch.
The large transducers from Adafruit are such odd components. I haven't really found anything that will push that much power, but I think there are better packages for my application. They sound great with the recommended 20w amp.
Here is the STM32Discovery board I am using and the FFT libs.
Thanks! I don't get to work on it as much as I'd like but I literally fantasize about it existing every day. Just being able to turn stuff down as needed. Sheesh.
I've been told by a few people that bone conduction noise canceling is impossible, but I beg to differ. I did a patent search the other day and it looks like Apple filed a patent on some bone conduction noise canceling headset concepts that use accelerometers[1] and so did another company I've never heard of[2]. Also in 2002 the us government funded a $100,000 research grant for it[3]. I do a lot of AR/VR R&D, I have for about 10 years. I'm pretty convinced that selective sound isolation with bone conduction headsets is crucial to a good AR experience too but at the end of the day I'd just like to be able to go to a social gathering without a performance hangover or not want to kill my buddy because his jaw clicks when he eats.
I'm putting a mic on the back of my head to pull the room then stereo directional mics out front to actively noise cancel the room but not the person I'm looking at in a cone that I can fiddle with. Initial tests seem to work! I'm trying to improve it with a crossover for low frequency on the jaw just under my earlobes and a mid/high driver on my temple. I think even a commercial setup for bike riders and some experimentation you might be able to find some relief. I've found them to be lacking in lower frequency which is why I'm using stronger drivers and the below the ear positioning.
Might be something to try playing with. It's pretty inexpensive. I'm using "Surface Transducers" from Adafruit and an STM32F4 Discovery board to process the noise canceling (has great FFT libs). All in my current setup is maybe $150 with a couple iterations under my belt.