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The cycling accessory specialist Ekoï was preparing to sell a pair of Bluetooth E Music glasses equipped with bone conduction audio technology. The launch is suspended, as this solution is not clearly authorized in France.
Ekoï, a French brand of accessories dedicated to cyclists, presented a new pair of glasses adapted to cycling. The Bluetooth E Music rely on bone conduction technology to transmit sound to their wearer. This technology, which we described to you in detail during our handling of the Aftershokz Trekz Air helmet, is particularly suitable for the world of cycling. Bone conduction brings the advantage of transmitting sound without obstructing the auditory canal, and therefore without cutting off surrounding sounds that can warn the cyclist of danger. Aftershokz had just presented in 2019 a pair of glasses, the Optishokz, equipped with the technology in question.
The Ekoï Bluetooth E Music glasses use the same logic. The transducers that transmit sound to the temples are placed on the temples of the glasses. These can be adjusted so that the device is ideally placed according to the morphology of the user. As its name suggests, the pair of Ekoï glasses connects to a smartphone via Bluetooth 5.0. A microphone allows you to answer a call. The 180 mA battery promises up to 7 hours and it takes 2 hours according to the brand to recharge it using a USB-C port.
Bone conduction is not the best ally for listening to music, as sound reproduction generally focuses on a small portion of the audio spectrum. Capabilities which, on the other hand, make this type of helmet – or glasses, in this case – more suitable for listening to podcasts or calls than for music. Ekoï did not communicate on the frequency response of its product. However, experience shows us that it is often necessary to forget the ends of the spectrum, bass and treble being generally absent.
Ekoï glasses lend themselves well to the use of sports cycling by allowing communication with a coach, whether virtual via an application or flesh and bone. However, it is logical to count on a slight overweight compared to conventional glasses which rarely exceed 40 g. The E Music indeed display 57 g. These glasses were to be available from March 30, 2022 for 199 €, with five models offered mixing lens and frame tints.
Prohibited or allowed on the road?
On bicycles, audio devices such as headphones, headsets and earphones are prohibited. You would think that bone conduction models are allowed, these keeping the user’s hearing alert to environmental sounds. Nevertheless, the Council of State in 2017 rejected a request made by Aftershokz to exclude bone conduction helmets from the prohibitions of the Traffic Laws. This decision was motivated by the fact that “the wearing in the ear, by the driver of a vehicle in circulation, of any device capable of emitting sound, with the exception of electronic deafness-correcting devices”, includes devices that do not obstruct the ear canal. The ban was also intended to limit distraction from headphones, even bone conduction ones.
A very questionable point of view since, according to the Road Safety website, two situations authorize an audio device for the driver: a system integrated into the vehicle and a device integrated into the helmet for motorcyclists. By placing the transducers on the branches of the glasses, Ekoï places its Bluetooth E Music in legal limbo. The brand is currently assessing the situation before whether or not to resume the marketing of its glasses. Difficult to understand the decision of the Council of State, because one can legitimately ask the question of the difference between listening to music on the speakers of his car and from a bone conduction helmet. In both cases, the driver undergoes a “distraction”, but is not cut off from his sound environment. A car’s cabin cuts out even more street noise, but it better protects its occupant.
We will obviously come back to the Ekoï glasses as soon as we have more information on this subject.