Skin-Adhered Wearable Sound Sensor for Discreet Audio Capture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wearable devices attached to the body often cause a feeling of strangeness and are noticeable to others, lacking inconspicuous designs that minimize outward changes and psychological impact.
Innovation Solution
A wearable information processing apparatus that adheres directly to the user's skin, featuring a sound pickup sensor, wireless communication, and a flexible housing with adhesion and water-shedding properties, allowing for minimal visibility and seamless integration with the body's surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional wearable devices are attached to the body using attachment units that run around the neck, then the device can be securely fixed and provide various functions, but the device becomes noticeable and causes a feeling of strangeness to the user
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a flexible adhesive housing that directly adheres to the skin surface, replacing traditional rigid attachment units that run around the neck. This thin film approach allows the device to conform to the body surface while remaining inconspicuous, securing the device through adhesion rather than mechanical fastening around the neck
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a three-dimensional attachment unit that encircles the neck to a two-dimensional adhesive housing that lies flat against the skin surface. This dimensional reduction makes the device much less noticeable while maintaining secure attachment through direct adhesion to the skin
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the wearable device is made inconspicuous by adhering directly to the skin, then the psychological impact is reduced and user acceptance is enhanced, but the device structure becomes more complex requiring adhesive materials and water-shedding properties
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is constructed as a composite structure combining adhesive material for skin attachment and water-shedding material for protection. This composite approach integrates multiple functions (adhesion, water resistance, flexibility) into a single housing unit, managing complexity through material composition rather than mechanical assembly
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the adhesive layer, water-shedding layer, and housing structure into a single integrated housing unit. This consolidation combines multiple protective and functional layers into one component, simplifying the overall device structure while maintaining the required inconspicuous appearance and skin adhesion
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The apparatus provides unobtrusive sound sensing and data transmission while maintaining a discreet appearance, reducing psychological impact and enhancing user acceptance.
Implementation Method 1
picks up a sound produced by the user through air conduction, flesh conduction, or bone conduction
Implementation Method 2
an adhering part that causes the housing part to adhere to a surface of a body of the user
Implementation Method 3
housing part with adhesion and water-shedding properties
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is an information processing apparatus that is used by being adhered to the body of a user. The information processing apparatus includes a sound pickup sensor that has a sound pickup function, a communicating part that wirelessly transmits audio data picked up by the sound pickup sensor to the outside, a control part that controls the sound pickup sensor and the communicating part, a power source part that supplies a power source to at least one of the sound pickup sensor, the communicating part, or the control part, a housing part that accommodates therein at least one of the sound pickup sensor, the communicating part, the control part, or the power source part, and an adhering part that fixes the housing part to the user. The sound pickup part picks up a sound of the user using, for example, flesh conduction or bone conduction.