Human reveals details of widely-anticipated innovation, Sound, and announces pre-order

SEATTLE, Sept. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Human™ has announced its coveted Sound Program™ is available for pre-orders worldwide.

Sound™ is the evolution of personal audio. Its design is inspired by the human ear, and the device's suite of features transcends headphones as they're currently defined. The technology was born out of the observation that major audio players play it safe with dated designs and avoid significant technological advances. Rather than build another bulky headphone or easily-lost plastic earbud, Human is building a fresh design that comfortably and securely attaches to the ear, combines multiple industry-bending functions, and acts as an extension of the human body.

Human seeks to build technologically advanced, yet radically simple, products that are utility and purpose driven. The product has no buttons, allowing for natural movement and swiping gestures to control the entire listening experience. Listeners can store the device easily by magnetically combining the two earphones together. Listeners turn on the device and play audio by pulling the earphones apart and placing them on their ears, and audio automatically pauses by removing the device from the listeners' ears and reuniting the earphones. Listeners can play music, pause tracks, skip forward, adjust volume, answer phone calls, and pair with their preferred Bluetooth device by simply touching the outer surface of the earphone. The device is charged on an induction charging station.  

What truly places Sound in an entirely new category of audio is the totality of its hardware and software capabilities. In addition to Sound's core audio functions, touch controls, and revolutionary form and fit, the pre-sale offering combines three additional features into one system:

• Social™ – Enjoy the same audio with multiple individuals, simultaneously. Social creates a new level of audio sharing by allowing listeners to selectively distribute and enjoy their audio with others.
• Fade™ – Block out the noise of your surrounding environment or increase it. Fade activates an ambient noise system to diminish external sounds, and this feature also utilizes a microphone embedded within the hardware to increase the volume of the listener's surroundings via an intuitive touch command.
• Amplify™ – Turn Sound into a loudspeaker by placing both earphones together. Amplify creates a louder and richer sound than current mobile handset speakers and many Bluetooth® offerings. The feature also allows multiple units to unite under one audio source, creating a room-filling sound.

Human is also offering a limited number of pre-sale customers the opportunity to beta test additional features:

• Speak™ – Experience conversational, instantaneous language translation thanks to Sound's language translation system.
• Active™ – In and around the ear, there's an opportunity for advanced biometric monitoring. Active will take biometric tracking to the next level.
• Sleep™ – The natural fit of Sound makes it possible for users to comfortably fall asleep wearing the device. Enjoy REM-assist rhythms, track sleep cycles in low-power mode, and be gently waken via your preferred playlists.

Sound is available for pre-order on IndieGogo® with special launch day pricing and reward levels for a limited time and quantity.

"We are humbled and thrilled to open the Sound Program for pre-orders through the IndieGogo® platform," said Ben Willis, Co-Founder, CEO and CTO. "The notion of what makes an advanced audio device is about to drastically change."

Human chose IndieGogo® as its partner for its presale campaign because of its community of early-adopters. IndieGogo® has a history of helping young technology companies boot strap their growth, and it has a brand and customer centric approach to crowdfunding. 

"The future of audio is more than wireless headphones. The industry has been playing it safe and only inching forward its consumer audio offerings. Human is taking a big step forward by creating a new category of communication and audio that transcends headphones altogether with an evolved design and a dynamic suite of features," said Joe Dieter, Co-Founder and CMO.

Human has grown at staggering rates in the past few months. Human has assembled a team of engineers and designers from companies like Microsoft®, Amazon®, and Google® to bring this technology to life.

Founded by a team of Pacific Northwest designers and engineers, and backed by Amazon® and Apple®'s first investors, Human is a company that creates people-empowering technologies with a purpose-driven design. Human's first program is an audio-communication technology simply called "Sound." Human seeks to build programs that bridge technology and humanity.

For more information about Human, please visit http://www.humaninc.com/ or follow us on Instagram® and Facebook®.

Human™, Sound™, Sound Program™, Social™, Fade™, Amplify™, Speak™, Active™, and Sleep™ are trademarks of Human, Incorporated, in the United States and/or other countries.  All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

For Press Inquiries:
Mimi Newman
mimi@humaninc.com
+1 323-829-3332