Noise cancelling headphones and new product development

Hi Everyone!

I am a third year occupational therapy student and I am currently in the process of developing a product for autistic children as part of a module assignment.

The product is a pair of noise cancelling headphones but comes with a microphone which can be paired with the headphones. The aim is for children to wear them during school hours and to still hear the teacher talking through the microphone, which they would be wearing. Additionally, I was looking into these being used outside of school. Such as when out shopping, the parent/carer could wear the microphone so the child could hear the parent/carer speaking through the headphones, but not external noises which could be overwhelming. 

I was just looking for any feedback about this idea, such as:

  • How your child would feel about wearing these headphones?
  • Do you think it would be a useful product?
  • How much would you be willing to pay for this product?

I am happy to receive any feedback you could provide as you are all experts in this field!

Thank you so much in advance :) 

P.S. here is an image of the design I currently have in mind

  • Yes I think some kind of bleep would help but it would need to be a gentle noise. A choice of noises would be really good (not talking loads) as different people are sensitive to different noises. Volume control would also be a must.

    I think adjustable in general would be a great idea. And even better if it can be adjusted to go round the back of the head. The material used is also really important. Needs to be really comfortable.

  • I have looked into that kind of system and thinking about going down the lines of Bluetooth rather than transmitters just because I have researched Bluetooth more :) a mute button is a very helpful idea though! thank you :)

  • Thank you so much - that is really helpful to know!

    Yes, I was speaking to a Mum who's son had autism and she suggested the same problem. I was thinking of introducing a small beep or a sound to indicate somebody is about to speak if the microphone has been inactive for a while? Do you think that would combat some of the fear element?

    That is definitely something I can incorporate into the design - like adjustable headphones which can be made tighter to fit round the back of the head.

    Thank you - your advice has been very helpful!

  • Speaking from the point of view of the teacher...

    I've never worn a microphone for this purpose, but I guess very similar to your proposal is a system for children with hearing impairments whereby they have a transmitter connecting a microphone the teacher wears to their hearing aid. It may be worth you looking into how this kind of system works when you are designing yours. The ones I have used have a mute button (which is very handy if you forget to take it off when having private conversations with others or errr.... when doing private things... (not me I hasten to add...)

  • There would certainly be a market for a good pair of noise cancelling headphones which are affordable but the noise cancelling quality would need to be good or it wouldn't be useful.

    I like the idea of the microphone so the child can still listen. My only worry for that would be if all other noise is being cancelled out and as many autistic children don't look at people when they're talking and may not pick up on signs someone is about to speak, would the sudden noise of the person speaking down the microphone be frightening. I jump very easily and if I was in my own world I think a voice would scare the life out of me. Just something to think about.

    My other thing with headphones and this is more personal to me but I'm sure other autistic people share this issue. I absolutely hate having things on top of my head. I find it really uncomfortable and irritating. If I wear headphone I wear them round the back of my head and hold them over my ears. If there was a design that could be worn round the back of the head without needing to be held then I would 100% buy them. I usually wear ear phones instead but I don't like them much either.

    Good luck.

  • The product is aimed at children for ease of the assignment really - it's more simple to target to a specific audience, rather than a wide spectrum as we've got to do a business case. I do recognise that adults want noise cancelling headphones - if this product ever became real I would definitely widen my market!

    Thank you for those links and advice - it will be really helpful!! :) 

  • Why aim the product just at children? There are plenty of adults who would welcome affordable noise-cancelling headphones primarily designed to cancel noise.

    Have you looked at the topics on the right listed under Related? They would be worth a read. Also take a look at these topics (some/all of which may already be listed under Related):
    https://community.autism.org.uk/f/health-and-wellbeing/11756/active-noise-cancelling-earplugs
    https://community.autism.org.uk/f/adults-on-the-autistic-spectrum/13280/in-ear-headphones-for-noise-cancelling
    https://community.autism.org.uk/f/health-and-wellbeing/6914/noise-cancelling-headphones/78718

    I long to wear a comfortable, affordable pair of headphones which have truly top class noise cancelling. I do have a pair of Bose headphones but, given I cannot afford to replace them, I am reluctant to wear them when, for example, out in the garden.

    Different levels of noise cancelling may be useful.