Interface Headset
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They say a picture is worth a thousand words... |
An interface headset （インタフェイスヘッドセット, inta-fe-su heddosetto） is an device worn on the head of an Evangelion pilot. The name suggests that the interface headset plays some role in the Eva-pilot interface, but exactly what is never elaborated upon.
The primary model of interface headset is composed of a thin, hairband-shaped wire linking two small pods. The wire section is nestled beneath the pilot's hair and is thus always obscured from view, making it appear as if the headset is comprised of two separate devices clipped on top of the head.
The headsets used by Asuka Langley Soryu, and by Asuka Shikinami Langley for her Eva-03 test, are both more similar to hair clips in form than the default model. Mari Makinami Illustrious also wears a unique model incorporated into a hairband. For both Asuka and Mari, the headset lies against different parts of the brain than the standard model, but whether this has any functional implications isn't known.
During the course of the show pilots have been sent into the Eva without a plugsuit, but an interface headset has in most cases been worn by the pilot, implying that it is a more critical piece of equipment. The headsets are not used only for the simulation body tests in Episode 13 and by Shinji during End of Evangelion.
"A10 Nerve Clips"
The interface headset is better known in the English-speaking fan community by "A10 nerve clips" than by its official designation. The nickname is quite misleading, as not only is Asuka's headset the only one qualifying as "clips", nothing in the show or supplemental materials (including the frequently mis-cited theatrical booklets) suggests that they play a role in A10 nerve synchronization.
