The handsfree device allows people to almost 'speak' through their ear so they can use their mobile telephones in noisy places. e-Mimi-kun deciphers vibrations, made when people speak, into audio which is transmitted by wire or Bluetooth, to the phone during an outgoing call.
The device is called e-Mimi-kun, which translates as 'good ear boy' in Japanese. When connected with the phone, e-Mimi-kun reduces external noise by as much as six times and a noise-cancelling chip (developed by Sanyo Electric) in the device helps reduce noise 10 times further.
The earpiece can be attached to a phone or it can also work wirelessly through Bluetooth.
The company, along with Sanyo, is likely to go to the market with its innovative gadget in 2008.
e-Mimi kun, developed by NS-ELEX Co, works like a microphone and an earpiece by detecting air vibrations inside the ear.
Photograph: Yoshikazu Tsuno/AFP/Getty Images