#524: Pulswitch

Batteries are a source of constant joy and frustration. Joy that they power my mobile kit: frustration when they stop.

This is particularly true when I’m using my MP3 player…I can remove the earpieces to talk to someone, or just to get changed after a run, and routinely forget to switch the damn thing off. The result is a hugely reduced operational duration.

Today’s invention is to equip earbuds with a small microphone which can detect my heartbeat within my ears and automatically power down the system when it senses that they are no longer in contact. It might be useful also to embed a thermocouple in each earpiece to confirm that they have been removed.