Origami inspired headphones turn into speakers with bonus Alexa integration

The buzzword today is AI integration and thus getting Google Home and Alexa into EVERYTHING is the way forward. After seeing cars and kitchen appliances, it’s now time to see how AI powered digital assistants can be integrated into Headphones. The AudiBall is a Bluetooth headphone that transforms into an impressive spherical smart speaker, with in-built Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant capabilities.

Inspired by the techniques used for origami, this compact and portable headphone is designed to fit into just about any space. Being a practical device, it is waterproof, dust-proof, and durable. Designer Vedang Kulkarni has kept in mind the key aspects of functionality and transformation. Needless to say, all controls are intuitively placed, so that you can access and adjust them easily.

Audiball is your personal headphone and a smart speaker on the go. The telescopic headband are stylish and look very chic as an accent in the speaker mode. Features include active noise-canceling technology for a better listening experience.

As Vedang puts it, “In the headphone mode, AudiBall sports a semi closed-back design that gives users comfort for prolonged wear and a large soundstage. At home, AudiBall quickly collapses into a smart speaker with in-built voice assistance like Amazon Alexa. Now you can ask AudiBall to play music, control smart home devices, manage calendars, get weather updates, and access tens of thousands of Alexa skills.”

AudiBall communicates control and voice data messages with the Alexa App over Bluetooth using a BLE or RFCOMM connection.

Designer: Vedang Kulkarni

author avatar
Radhika Seth
Radhika Seth is a design and technology writer with over 18 years of experience covering products, innovation, and the ideas shaping design. She serves on the jury of international design competitions, including the iF Design Award, and hosts Yanko Design’s Design Mindset podcast. A former Ogilvy advertising professional, she has also taught Communication and Design Journalism, bringing together her experience across design, storytelling, brands, and media.