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