Surround Sound: Man Implants Magnets into Ears, Makes DIY Headphones

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Why fuss with headphone wires or uncomfortable earbuds when you can have headphones built into your ears? That’s what “body hacker” Rich Lee thought when he decided to implant small magnets in his ears so he could listen to music without having to wear headphones.

Lee is a self proclaimed transhumanist, or someone who believes in Transhumanism--a belief that since the human body will remain “unalterable,” the body 's limitations can be transcended via technology.

Lee was inspired by a post on Instructables, a website that allows people to share their own DIY projects, to build his own version of “invisible headphones.” The basic steps to create the “invisible headphones” are to put two small magnets in your ear, create a magnetic coil necklace that is bigger than the size of your head but small enough to be hidden under your shirt and connect it to an amplifier that can connect to an mp3 player.

Lee actually went a step further and implanted the magnets into each of his ears' tragus. The small operation was done by a friend. According to the Washington Post: “no licensed surgeon would be willing to do this procedure. The magnets are coated so they’re biologically safe- relatively speaking.”

Future plans for Lee and his “invisible headphones” include the exploration of radiation, echolocation and other spy-like activities. Would you be willing to go so far as to surgically put magnets into your ears? We’re not too sure either but these forrays strides into human and technology are definitely something to think about.

[via Washington Post]

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