Bone conduction facts for kids

A special headset that uses bone conduction to let you hear sound. The small parts sit just in front of your ears.

Bone conduction is a way your body hears sounds. Instead of sound waves going into your ear canal, they travel through the bones in your head. This lets you hear audio content without blocking your ears.

Sound waves are always making your skull bones vibrate a little. It's usually hard to tell the difference between sound coming through your bones and sound coming through the air into your ears. But we can use bone conduction on purpose. This can be for people who hear normally, like with special headphones. It can also help people with certain types of hearing problems. Generally, bone conduction helps you hear lower-pitched sounds better than higher-pitched ones.

How Does Bone Conduction Work?

Bone conduction is a natural process. It's how sound vibrations reach your inner ear through your bones. Think of it like a shortcut for sound. Normally, sound travels through the air. It goes into your ear canal, hits your eardrum, and then moves tiny bones in your middle ear. These vibrations then reach your inner ear.

With bone conduction, the sound vibrations go straight to your skull bones. These vibrations then travel directly to your inner ear. This means your eardrum and middle ear bones are not needed for the sound to reach your inner ear. It's a different path for sound to take.

Everyday Uses of Bone Conduction

Bone conduction technology has many cool uses. It helps people hear in different ways. It's also used in special devices.

Bone Conduction Headphones

You might have seen or used bone conduction headphones. These headphones sit on your cheekbones, not over or in your ears. They send sound vibrations through your bones. This lets you hear music or calls. At the same time, your ears are open to hear sounds around you. This is great for activities like running or biking. You can enjoy your music and still be aware of traffic or other important sounds.

Helping People Hear

Bone conduction is very helpful for people with certain hearing problems. If someone has issues with their outer or middle ear, sound might not reach their inner ear well. Bone conduction devices can bypass these parts. They send sound vibrations directly to the inner ear.

Hearing Aids

Some hearing aids use bone conduction. These devices are often worn behind the ear or attached to a headband. They pick up sounds and turn them into vibrations. These vibrations then travel through the skull bone to the inner ear. This helps people with hearing loss hear more clearly. It's a great way to help them connect with the world around them.

Images for kids

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  Diagram of the different vibration paths of sound to the inner ear by bone conduction and air conduction.

• Vintage Acousticon Hearing Aid By Dictograph Products Company, Made in the USA, Circa 1934 (12486155455).jpg

  Image of a Vintage Acousticon Hearing Aid By Dictograph Products Company, Made in the US, Circa 1934.

See also

In Spanish: Conducción ósea para niños