Open Ear Bone Conduction Headphones work by sending high quality sound vibrations that pass through the jaw and skull bones. From there, they travel directly into the cochlea, which sends the sounds to the brain. This means the sound by-passes other structures of the ear such as the eardrum. The sound is then heard from inside the ear, instead of outside. This allows the wearer to maintain awareness of their surroundings, like running in a public place, at work, at the park with children, etc. They sit very comfortably on top of the ear and are almost unnoticeable.