You can be on Entrepreneur’s cover!

These New Earbuds Let You Adjust the Volume of Everything Around You Doppler Labs' new invention can help you turn down the volume of a concert in real time.

By Nina Zipkin

entrepreneur daily

Business travel is fraught with irritating noises – the insistent whooshing of a plane engine, crying kids, chatty neighbors.

If you're a frequent road warrior (or even just on your daily commute), you likely always keep a pair of earbuds on hand. But what if you could just simply turn down the volume of the world around you? Two-year-old wearable tech company Doppler Labs wants to give users that experience with its latest product, the Here Active Listening System.

Related: Should You Break Into the Wearables Market?

The company launched a Kickstarter campaign this week for the wireless earbuds and accompanying mobile app that allows the user adjust the volume of what they are hearing in essentially real time, characterizing the system as a "remote control for your ears." The technology takes in what you are hearing, processes it and then plays it back to you within 30 microseconds, so there's no perceptible time delay.

You can't use them to listen to a podcast or a new album on your devices, but you can turn the volume up at a concert or an outdoor movie screening, or turn down the sounds of the street below your office building. With the app, you can also change what you're hearing with sound effects options (i.e. reverb, and echo) or choose from a series of filters with names like Blue Note and Hendrix. The company has also developed specific algorithms to combat sounds like those jet engines.

Related: Wearable Tech Will Soon Be Work Attire in These 4 Industries

Last year, Doppler Labs released its first product, $25 "advanced tech ear plugs" called DUBS Acoustic Filters that are specifically designed to filter out harmful sound without muffling it, unlike an average rubber earplug.

The Here Active Listening campaign has already met more than half its goal of $250,000 with 27 days left to go. Some of the perks that come with donating range from branded swag to meeting the Doppler team and seeing a live demonstration.

The system is on track to ship December 2015 at a list price of $249.

Related: Wearable Tech Is Improving Employee Productivity and Happiness

Nina Zipkin

Entrepreneur Staff

Staff Writer. Covers leadership, media, technology and culture.

Nina Zipkin is a staff writer at Entrepreneur.com. She frequently covers leadership, media, tech, startups, culture and workplace trends.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Growing a Business

To Achieve Sustainable Success, You Need to Stop Focusing on Disruption. Here's Why — and What You Must Focus on Instead.

Instead of zeroing in solely on disruptive innovation, embrace a pragmatic approach to innovation, recognizing and leveraging the potential within ongoing industry shifts.

Business News

Mark Zuckerberg Says This CEO Is the 'Taylor Swift' of Tech

Meta's CEO posed with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on Instagram Wednesday.

Real Estate

3 Emerging Trends Shaping the Future of Real Estate

These three innovations are reshaping the real estate industry — discover tips for effectively covering these trends.

Leadership

What We Have to Gain By Talking About Grief and Loss At Work

I lost my husband to cancer during Covid — here's how it changed how I lead at work.

Side Hustle

This Mom Started a Side Hustle After a 'Shocking' Realization in the Toy Aisle. Her Product Was in Macy's Within the Year — Seeing Nearly $350,000 in Sales.

Elenor Mak, now founder of Jilly Bing, didn't plan to start a business — but the search for a doll that looked like her daughter inspired her to do just that.

Fundraising

Avoid These 9 Pitch Deck Mistakes When Asking Others For Money

Crafting an efficient pitch deck requires serious effort, but at least it's not wandering in the dark since certain rules are shaped by decades of relationships between startups and investors.