If you're thinking that headbands have gone the way of the dinosaur, think again. A Japanese company called Thanko has just announced the VONIA sports headband, which actually acts as a set of headphones without requiring you to shove anything in or on you ears.

How? Bone conduction. The VONIA headband uses it to send sound directly to your brain by stimulating your eardrums, leaving you free to hear any ambient sound that could alert you to, say, an oncoming truck that would have turned you into a bloody mess. Perfect for people who love listening to music while running or biking.

The VONIA headband has a front pocket designed to hold an iPod shuffle or any other small mp3 player. The player connects to wiring hidden inside the headband itself. The speaker units are also waterproof, so if you have a waterproof player you can still use it while you're doing a few laps in the pool.

There's no word yet on if the VONIA headband will be coming to the U.S., but if you have a friend in Japan, you can get them to buy one for US$ 85 when it goes on sale later this month.