Turn Your Head Into Speakers

Roland Piquepaille writes "A small company based in Iowa has developed products made with a "smart" metal that can turn your walls or your head into speakers. "Last August, Etrema -- an innovative technology firm nestled in the cornfields of Ames, Iowa -- started selling those chrome discs for $1,500 a pair. Called Whispering Windows, they can turn any wall, window, or drab conference table into a speaker." The author tried the technology, and even if she needed a full bottle of Tylenol after usage, said "it's not every day that your head serves as a piece of stereo equipment." This overview tells you more about this "magic" metal, the Terfenol, which is a combination of terbium and dysprosium. The article also says that we can soon expect pirated versions of Terfenol coming from China."

Main site is windows

[WindBourne]

The article also says that we can soon expect pirated versions of Terfenol coming from China.

In spite of possibly losing their company due to running an insecure OS, they continue it. Though they did change the web server, but stay on the same OS. I do admire their tenacity and loyality.

china

[Potor]

But if scientists from China discover how to manufacture Terfenol -- Etrema's Snodgrass says that three Chinese companies have already started making pirated versions -- the metal's still-fragile reputation could be harmed by the cheaper, imported version.

if china has the metals and the formula, why would their 'pirate' version be inferior to the american version, beyond its not being american? wouldn't market demand dictate the quality of the chinese ternenol? and surely pirated is the wrong word here. they are not bootlegging consumer goods, but manufacturing a material. unless, that is, they use it to make mickey mouse dolls and rolex watches.

Re:Been done before?

[blincoln]

I think there is a huge market for the ability to turn various items into a quality audio transmitter.

The problem is mostly with the concept of using things like walls and desks as speakers. The material they're made out of just isn't designed for it, and if you're like most people and have pictures hung on your walls and office supplies in your desk drawers or whatnot it's going to add even more distortion.

It sounds like a better use for this metal would be making really high-quality speaker cones and "headphones" that sit on your skull instead of your ears, like they do to the article's author.

Re:The human stereo

[genecystal]

This is not funny. This is terrifyingly prophetic