Smart glasses have been growing in popularity as a way to record POV video and ask AI questions about what you see – but one start-up is taking a different approach. MusicCam is a set of open-ear headphones that have built-in cameras for photos and POV videos.
Start-up VibeLens says that MusicCam is the first AI camera headset. The mix of headphones with built-in cameras powers some of the same capabilities as smart glasses, including asking AI questions about the camera footage, capturing POV videos, and snapping photos. Like smart glasses models with speakers built into the frames, the MusicCam, naturally, is made for listening to music and taking phone calls.
But the start-up says there are a few key differences that come from putting a camera and AI into headphones rather than a pair of glasses. The MusicCam is waterproof to 20m, allowing users to take photos and videos underwater. The company says MusicCam’s 2.6 hours of video recording and 15h of audio battery life ratings also set it apart from some smart glasses.
The camera itself is a tiny piece that rotates from the earpiece to face forward and capture POV footage and stills. The camera sensor is a compact Sony IMX219, but the company says the camera can still capture 1080P and 2K footage. The built-in f/2 lens captures a 73-degree wide-angle view, and footage can be steadied with six-axis gyro stabilization.
The wrap-around style headphones are the open-ear, bone conduction type. That’s paired with a dual environmental noise cancellation microphone to capture video audio, and take phone calls.
Like many smart glasses, the MusicCam will use AI to identify landmarks, translate languages, and answer common questions like the weather forecast.
The start-up says that the 600mAh battery can record voices for 20 to 24 hours, play music for 15 hours, or capture 2.6 hours of video. With quick charging, the headphones can recharge in as little as 30 minutes.
VibeLens is using crowdfunding to launch the MusicCam – and all crowdfunding has some risk involved. The campaign, however, has already exceeded its original goal. The company has already completed small batch trial production and expects to begin mass production in November, with shipping as early as December.
MusicCam is expected to have a $399 list price, which is about £298 / CA$557 / AU$606. Backers willing to take the Kickstarter risk could potentially get the camera headphones for as much as 50 percent off retail.
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