Equipped with four built-in bone conduction speakers, the ZEROi is the “hat of the future” giving its wearers an incredible hands-free listening experience. Normally housed in a hard shell, ZEROi’s bone conduction technology is woven right into the hat’s soft cloth material – allowing the sound to freely vibrate the bones of the inner ear without eliminating the outside world. This makes for a powerful acoustic system that keeps you engaged with your surroundings while biking, jogging, hiking or during your morning commute.

“Our company’s vision is to bring IT and the fashion industry into one.”

Bone Conduction Technology

Bone conduction, according to ZEROi, is when “sound waves are transmitted at a frequency that can be conducted through the bones of the skull.” If you’ve ever had the luxury of wearing bone conduction headphones, you quickly understand the benefits of full surrounding awareness while enjoying your playlist. If you need to converse with someone, speech recognition is much smoother process than traditional earbuds.
 

Intelligent Design Features

Whether it’s listening to your favorite Pandora station or chatting up a business client on the way to work, the ZEROi hat is a Bluetooth-enabled wearable designed for interactivity. With three different color options (white, black, blue) and two different design types (snap back and baseball cap), wearers have the option of fully customizing their ZEROi hat.

The real difference maker: instead of only two bone conduction speakers, the ZEROi comes with a total of four – making this one of the most disruptive wearables hitting the market this December (2017). The open ear design keeps the wearer in tune with their surroundings during an afternoon jog alongside traffic without compromising the listening experience. Accepting a call is as simple as pressing one button on the lid of the cap – so users can shop, read, exercise and simultaneous connect with their contact list.

“Our goal is to make wearable devices the next trend and put a name to high-tech fashion products.”

Durability

Sealed with a water-resistant oil coating, the ZEROi is protected from rain, sweat, and spillage. Even though the hat is not-submergible, it can be worn in all types of weather. Along with the thin visor design, the coating gives the ZEROi a unique, yet stylish look that is sure to match up well with any piece of attire. It’s certainly designed to be a long-lasting part of the wardrobe and since it can be personalized with lettering, users can add some high-tech spice to their outfits without going over-the-top.

The ZEROi is capable of lasting five hours on one full charge and eight days on standby mode. Weighing only 1 ounce (30g), the highly portable ZEROi allow you to keep your smartphone tucked away while you ask for directions to the nearest restaurant. Accompanying the ZEROi hat is a detachable magnetic connector – keeping your hat charged up while protecting your ports from dust, linen, dirt, and water.

Bottom Line

The Kickstarter early bird price of $89 seems rather reasonable for a Bluetooth-connected wearable equipped with bone conduction technology but the MSRP of $129 seems a bit steep. Mainstream acceptance of the ZEROi will depend as much on the acoustic performance as it does on the cap’s fashionability. If the hat looks ridiculous, it doesn’t matter how incredible the technology.

Source: ZEROi