Pasona said Tuesday it will work with two entities to promote cartilage conduction technology used in earphones and other devices to support people with hearing problems.
The Japanese staffing agency will promote efforts to develop new products containing this technology and introduce them in collaboration with Nara Medical University and CCH Sound, which manufactures such products.
Pasona plans to use the technology for headphones for staff and for earphones used for audio guides in its exhibition at the 2025 World Expo in Osaka city.
Cartilage conduction, which transmits sound by vibrating the cartilage near the ear, was discovered by Hiroshi Hosoi, president of Nara Medical University.
It allows users to hear clear sound without blocking their ear canals and is said to leak less sound compared to bone conduction technology, which vibrates a user’s skull.
Earphones using cartilage conduction technology are already available for services in some local governments and financial institutions.
Cartilage conduction earphones make it easier to hear external sounds and can even be useful for people without hearing problems, Hosoi told reporters.
“There are many people who don’t know anything about cartilage conduction, especially abroad, so I want them to experience it at the Expo,” he said.
