A YORK based speaker specialist which devised new technology to transmit sound through the skull is creating a new version of its "Headbones" after accidentally finding a market in the health sector.

Damson Audio, based at York Business Park, first created Headbones in 2013, designing a bone conducting pair of headphones that sit in front of your ear, rather than on, in or over them, leaving the ear free to listen to all surrounding sounds.

Chief executive James Talbot said: "In a genuine case of accidental finds, the idea for the product was borne about from placing one of our first products Damson Twist on the head.

"Damson Twist is a "vibration" speaker that dissipates sound through the surface it is on, and as we found, the skull works well.

"Obviously nobody was going to stick a 7cm speaker to each side of their head so we began a two year development programme to deliver the final, smaller, neater product."

After developing the Headbones, assisted through almost £100,000 raised through crowdfunding, Damson found a potential audience beyond its initial leisure use target.

Mr Talbot said: "Very shortly after launching the final product it became apparent that Headbones offered those who couldn't hear as a result of certain medical conditions a way to hear sound in stereo.

"A local 13 year old lad who was born with Microtia and had never heard sound separated in stereo was able to hear sounds in stereo for the first time. The look on his face the first time he did was incredible.

"This has opened up Headbones to completely new channels and we are regularly contacted by people who have not heard in stereo and now they can."

Mr Talbot has entered Damson for the Technology Business of the Year Award, as well as the Dare to Export Award after seeing more than 50 per cent of its sales revenues coming from trade with the US.

In 2012 the business won the UKTI best tech start up award which enabled the firm to showcase its products at CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas.

As well as having focussed on the US market the company is now negotiating with a major distributor covering Latin and South America, as well as a Dutch distributor, and Germany's largest consumer electronics retailer. Damson is also at advanced stages of negotiations with two Asian organisations who would open up the company and its products to the 1.2 billion Chinese market.