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James writes "At CeBIT, Olympia has been showing off its Soundbug - a gadget that can turn almost any flat surface into a soundboard. It's only gonna cost £29.99 (around $45, i guess), but it sounds like there's some seriously cool science behind it."
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See www.invisiblestereo.com They sell a large version of something similar where you attach the coil to the back side of drywall, or under your floor, turning your wall or floor into a speaker. It sounds pretty good, and its fun to have people try to find the speakers in your house. I know a guy who has 40 of them all over his home.
I read several pieces on this technology, but I'm not exactly sure about the logisitics of these types of devices. Sure, we all know that we vibrate surfaces in order to produce sounds waves. But, these vibrations seem to be pretty disastrous to things that don't want to vibrate (i.e. Your House). So, if you hooked one of these things up behind your drywall it would seem as if any amount of use would cause the wall to shake, drywall screws to become loose, plaster over the drywall to crack, base molding to come loose, and paint to chip/crack. How do they aim to create a vibration without causing all sorts of damage? Well, if we moved it to a hardwood floor (or even better, the composite material wood floors that aren't even nailed into the floor, rather they float as an entire surface together), we could end up with better results. The wood is most likely much better able to handle the vibrations and transfer them well too. But, what happens if you walk across the floor? It would seem that the power of this type of equipment wouldn't be large enough that it could vibrate an additional 150 - 200 lb person. So, as you would walk across floors, you would be creating deadspots all over the place and interfering with the workings of the 'speakers'.
Has anyone seen any articles with an in-depth analysis of how this equipment might work. Despite the poster's comment that "it sounds like there's some seriously cool science behind it." the article was very slim on any technical details.
I can't really answer the question, but I have played with the concept. I took a 5 inch speaker, cut away most of the cone and screwed a thin, springy piece of steel across the basket. From there a bolt goes down to the dust cap, which is then covered in epoxy, so the voice coil, dustcap, bolt and steel leaf are a rigid unit. mass is added to the strap to adjust the resonant frequency. The entire thing can be attached to walls or tables or whatever, turning the entire surface into a speaker with really nasty resonant peaks at harmonics of the drivers resonant freq.
Regardless of the sound quality of this particular setup, a 4x8 piece of sheetrock actually makes a fair speaker at resonable volumes, its fine for watching TV or casual radio listening. I used it in my workshop for several months just for the novalty. If you desire very high SPL though, more standard technology would probably be a better investment.
Imagine a maliable case of some sort (obviously the motherboard would have to be mounted by a different means, prehaps from a rack that hangs from the top of the case and not have the edges of the sides of the case maliable) that movies in time to your music. The old WinAmp ripple AV but on a much larger and life-like scale.
I am sure that if the technique was applied to other sources for movement and other materials that the ravers could get into it. Imagine entire dance hall walls that move and pulsate with the music!
yeah the article knows the difference between force (lbf) and pressure (lbf/area). i dont think it exerts 400 lbs of force on the flat object, but rather on the coil inside. i would imagine that a 400 lb force applied to a window wouldnt be too good for the glass.
since this is one of the mediums they are suggesting you use it with, i dont think it will do too much damage will be placed apon to the original poster if he plans on using his chest. i think one requirement is that the surface be rigid so that it can transmit the sound. i doubt most of our chests are rigid.
You should see this [slashdot.org] Slashdot article from nearly a year ago. It describes Korean scientists doing this exact same thing, but as a "proof-of-concept" type of thing.
Apparently, some things that Slashbots debunk as vaporware are made practical:-)
But if your desk is the speaker, not only would you not get stereo sound, but you would not be able to use the desk, or it would probably ruin the sound. Think about it, how would the music sound with a monitor, a couple books, and some food sitting on the desk.
Using the windows or some other large furniture in the room would be better, but again, you would need at least two for stereo sound, and they would probably need to be roughly the same size and density for the sounds to match.
Well, obviously damping the vibrations (with books etc) would decrease the volume, but it's not true that you wouldn't be able to achieve stereo sound with a single vibrating body. Different parts of your desk don't have to vibrate in phase or at the same frequency unless it is infinitely stiff, which it isn't.
Not only that, but what would the long term effect be on the material being used to generate the sound? I don't think it could be that good. What would happen if someone hooked this up and cranked the base? Some stuff vibrates with normal speaker when the base is cranked. I probably won't by this.
On the lighter side, imagine hooking it up to a wall in your apartment or house, or get 3 y-cables and some cords and hook it up to all four walls. The biggest speakers in the world!
So the article talks about using the technology to improve the conference phone that so many businesses have placed. But if everyone is seated and taking notes, won't their contact with the table stop the vibrations? Same with the desk. If I have a lot of crap on it, does the soundbug quality reduce because the desk can't vibrate?
I can recall Sharper Image's catalog having these for whole walls in the past. If I recall a write up in a sound magazine, the quality is surprisingly good, but obviously not like audiophile level.
Bear in mind that those that are truly dedicted to having a 'thumping ride' are too into the quality of the sound they send soaring through the subdivision to possibly consider something of this nature.
Riiight...these morons care about sound quality??? Of what, the bass signal? C'mon, maybe what you say works for a sales pitch, but don't try and tell me that mixing road noise with bass-biased eq's and 18" speakers mounted in the back of some yahoo's Gremlin combines to yield "quality sound." That's a load of hooey, and you know it. Nobody who does this kind of activity cares the least about maintaining fidelity to the original signal - if you don't believe me, try out one of these systems on a harpsichord melody, or maybe a flute solo. What these systems are meant to do is project the driver's music as far as possible, to the annoyance of all the people who surround them. That's all. You want "sound-good" you turn on the stereo at home.
Although this is probably a troll, i'll respond. I used to have a setup in one of my cars that easily sounded better than any stereo equipment i have in the house, even going 80. now, admittedly, it wasn't a "thump-thump mobile", you couldn't really hear it outside the vehicle, but inside you could feel every bass note and hear every high note w/o distortion. It sounded really nice.
Nope, it's not a troll, and if you really think the stereo in your car combined with road noise (negligible at 80mph? Whaddya drive, a Lexus?:) sounds better than a comparably-priced indoor stereo, then I guess I have nothing more to say to you, especially since you're an AC.
All that I wonder about this(other than when can I get one) is how long till some genius in a Marketing department somewhere turns an entire building into a non-stop looping jingle? Just think, Times Square (which is already an advertising mecca) but now with J-Lo/ Kylie/ Britney playing in the background 24 hours a Day!
Next thing we know is that Vogons will announce us, turning every table into a a speaker, that our planet is to be destroyed to make way for an hyperspace bypass...
I wonder what would happen if I attached the device to this large piece of sheet metal the local orchestra uses, placed its input microphone in front of the sheet and give the sheet a hefty whack... Or even dumped the microphone and captured the vibrations directly for that matter.
Soundbug is made by Newlands Scientific [terfenol.com], a company based in Hull (UK), and comes in a variety of colours, some of which (pink and purple) are pretty disgusting, some of which (grey and blue) aren't...
Their website has plenty more glossy pictures, and a bit more info about "smart materials", which are used to make the wall/glass/whatever vibrate. They seem to be similar to piezo-electric materials, though better (at least, that's what the company would have you believe).
I want to make one big enough for political demonstrations. It would be kind of cool to use an entire building as a loud speaker to get your point across.
Can you imagin the protest over zoning commerical then? Everybody could have these babies hooked up to their car hoods and the outside of their windows and everything else flat that they could find.
A virtual soundscape of an urbanized area could then be run though the system to demonstrate exact how bad things would be.
Look up Tesla oscillators. Tesla did some stuff in Manhattan that oscillated at Earth's natural resonant frequency that made the earth shake for blocks. Same basic principle - vibrate stuff.
This has great potential in the realm of practical jokes.
Imagine sucking this to the underside of someone's desk way back in the knee well. Then attach it to a radio and a timer device that will randomly turn on the radio for a few seconds every few hours.
Imagine attaching this to the door of the person who was making loud, annoying noises with a POTAS whilst you were trying to sleep, and waking them up when you have to go to your 8:00 class!
The possibilities for this device are truely limitless.
Wow, that's a high brow prank. I was thinking more along the lines of putting one under someone's desk and then just transitting desk-rattling farts every so often.
Sounds like the time nerd friends of mine put a "Clapper" on the monitor of their nerd boss, set so sensitive that when he put down his Dr. Pepper on the desk, *CLICK*.
The Soundbug is very very cool indeed. My flatmate is doing some work for Newlands Scientific (the people who developed this stuff) and I've seen the Soundbug in action. I want one!
Even better, IMHO, is the 'conference call' product they alluded to in the article. I think they're referring to the Soundbubble, which will create a 'bubble' within which you can *only* hear the sound source you want (e.g. the phone call). If you're outside the bubble, you won't be able to hear the phone conversation.
It's absolutely amazing, and the possibilities are endless. Imagine being able to walk into a crowded, noisy bar and be able to have a whispered conversation with the person standing next to you. Neither of you would be able to hear the rest of the bar, and the rest of the bar would be unable to hear you.
It really is like something out of a sci-fi novel. Those of you who have read any Iain M Banks novels will know this works much the same way as his sound fields.
Even better, IMHO, is the 'conference call' product they alluded to in the article. I think they're referring to the Soundbubble, which will create a 'bubble' within which you can *only* hear the sound source you want (e.g. the phone call). If you're outside the bubble, you won't be able to hear the phone conversation.
I hope they do not intend on getting a patent for "the cone of silence" as pioneered on the American TV show "Get Smart!"
You mean something like this [mit.edu]? (Found through an article (in German) [heise.de] in Telepolis, that draws a link to the Kate Bush song Experiment IV.
They actually have those in stores in my area to "test drive" cds. It's not totally effective, as you can vaguely hear the music walking by one of them, though I'd guess that's the idea trying to sell cd's in stores...
I have a set of Wharfedale flat panel speakers, which use similar technology I suppose. The sound quality is decidedly "thin" and the old magnet driven cones beat it hands down.
I would love to see a more technical analysis of the soundbug and I looked around.
The official site is here [soundbug.biz], and has a nice photo.
However, I did not find a nice frequency response graph based on some standard material like a pane of glass one metre square, or MY office desk;-) for example.
In all, it looks reasonably cool, and I can see applications everywhere. Now, when am I going to be able to get one in Morocco??
No, flat panel speakers aren't really similar to this. Flat panel speakers vibrate a thin film layer to create the sound. One of the advantages of this is that you don't create a point source like you do with tweeters, instead you create an eliptical wave. You have to be rather careful about interference though, since the sound eminates from both the front and the back of the panel. This does help with things like off-axis response, and doesn't hurt imaging if done right.
If you find the speakers in question "thin" sounding, then it's because they're not very good, or your setup isn't very good. Good flat panels do have a different tone than a box speaker, but they are generally accepted as being just as good as long as you have a top notch subwoofer to cover the bass.
>>The Soundbug transmits the sound to the flat >>surface by way of a small piece of Terfenol, >>which is a mixture of rare earth metals and >>iron. This substance is placed within an >>aluminium case, around which is wrapped a coil.
If they make a ton of these, what's that going to mean for our supply of Terfenol? I'm not an environmentalist or anything, but I'm sure people won't be happy.
Here [ucla.edu] is a cool article and picture on Terfenol. Looks like its main purpose is for damping and energy absorption. Kind of looks like gold!
DERA the British "defence" research agency developed a much better version [qinetiq.com] years ago (technologically, if not financially), where the panel itself was made to vibrate using electronic impulses. More info here [go.com].
Interestingly, they were looking for ways to reduce background noise (using anti-noise) when they stumbled across it.
They've been available commercially for years.
I can see this applied to places like theaters, if you could get walls, floors and ceiling to vibrate.
This would really get the subsonics going.
The ultimate would of course be stadiums, for rock concerts and other public events. I can seen the politicians now, using sound to held inspire fear or some other emotion depending on the vibrations being put into the mix.
"I don't know, but I felt sort of tingly when I saw him/her live. TV just doesn't communicate his/her charisma"
Of course, the stress testing of the building designs would have to be taken to a whole new level, to handle the extra energy.
Couple comments about this technology. First, devices that did this are fairly old. I remember about 20 or 30 years ago a wall system was announced (I forget by whom) that would turn your entire wall into a speaker. I also remember that school buses had a similar system for announcing for awhile - where a transducer turned the roof of the bus into a speaker system.
But that aside... this reminds me also of something I saw the Musician Laurie Anderson do... I visited her traveling museum (stocked full of VERY COOL things she had invented). One of her inventions was a large wood dinner table. At the point where each person sat was two small indentations in the table - exactly where you would rest your elbows with your hands on your face (as so many of us do while eating).
The cool thing was she had transducers in the holes... you could hear absolutly nothing until you put your elbows in the holes and leaned your head on your hands... then instantly you heard MUSIC in your ears! This was accomplished by bone induction (e.g., the music traveling through your elbow and into your arm bone and out your hand into your head). The quality was astonishing!
The other neat thing was it was fully stereo (unless you were a one-armed-man) and each person at the table got a totally different soundtrack.
As an audiologist I have to be pedantic and note that bone conducted sound does not give you the same cues for locating the sound (i.e. no head shadow). So saying you can hear it in steroe is a little misleading. While you can add additional streams of sound, you will loose lots of timing and amplitude cues (no head shadow, and bone conducts sound faster than air) you use to locate where a sound is coming from .
The "speaker" however sounds pretty neat, and a $40 bone oscillator is even cooler (typically in the $100's). I wonder if the frequency response goes up to the ultrasonic range. If you really want to hear some weird stuff, you can actually hear frequecies by bone conduction that your cannot hear by air conduction (over 24 kHz).
(Science [nih.gov]
and
Lancet [nih.gov]) There is a
company [hearinginnovations.com] in Tucson doing some cool stuff with this to make hearing aids and tinnitus maskers.
Can anyone think of an application where the soundbug would be preferential over standard or wireless speakers? I don't think cost is really an issue since you can pick up cheap speakers for under $10 or even used ones for less than that. The article mentions teleconferencing but people who are partaking in activities such as teleconferencing tend to have deep enough pockets to splurge for a decent sound system.
Have a look at their video adverts. They're targeting children. This will be a great toy for kids to plug in to their walkman/discman/mp3 player, and the price is right for their market.
Sound travels in waves. So, I wonder how other stuff on the desk can affect the sound coming from it. I mean, my desk has 2 monitors, a laptop, books, beer bottles, papers. To use this, do I have to clear all that stuff off?
I'm sure the CIA has thought of this, but if you can transmit sound through stuff like desks, why can't you also build a device that will listen to the vibrations and record sound from the room. It would be the ultimate listening device (aka bug).
actually the CIA wouldnt have thought of this. They would have had the NSA think about it for them. THIS kind of thing is the NSA's purpose. and running all of the US spy sattelites
A few years ago, I saw a brief tech news article about how a japanese company had made a tv screen that hung on your wall like a painting, and the screen itself was the speaker. I thought it was cool, but when I mentioned it to people later they thought I was on crack. And I didn't have the link anymore. Now I have proof that such a thing can exist! Proof I say! Proof! Um, does anyone have a link to an article proving the existence of the little people that steal socks from the dryer too? Thanks.
remember kiddies, if it doesnt create the low frequency and large excursion that your beloved 8-32 inch speaker cone does then you are going to get very minimal bass response. in otherwords. It's a great tweeter and midrange but it will plain suck at bass.
Ok I did , I banged my fist on it being sure to not allow my fist to travel more than 1/4 of an inch... no Bass... lowest frequency registered on the sectrometer here at work was 190hz.
What do you think a bass drum or a tympani is?
not a soundboard. they are as is a large stringed Bass, a soundbox. A tuned cavity to amplify and shape the resulting sound. a flat board that is not designed specifically as a sound device produce no bass without meeting some simple requirements... large deflection to create the amplitude needed for the very large soundwaves.. BTW, a 60Hz wave needs almost 300 feet to develop into a wave... you can't hear it unless you are inside the sound field of the speaker (2X the diameter of the driven element)
this is also why people that put huge woofers in their trunk of their cars are pretty much un-educated wannabe's.
Nope... it's going to sound as good as a 4inch general purpose speaker... with a probability of awesomne high end dynamic range... but the bass will suck.
The device can be stuck to a car windscreen, meaning that drivers can have a hands-free conversation without having to wear a headset
Oh boy! And so can anyone else nearby, with their windows rolled down, etc. Greaaaat. Hope you weren't having an intimate conversation, or talking trade secrets!
Thankfully a lot of places have noise ordinances now that could be used against morons placing these things and annoying everyone nearby.
Definitely useful, assuming the sound quality is even mediocre. But I doubt that it's going to replace decent speaker setups anytime soon.
I thought of that. Basically you'd need two window panes. The inner one plays the sound and the outer one does the noise nullification they mentioned in the article.
Because 5.5 years ago when I was a freshman at Clemson University I saw the same thing being done in the ceramics engineering department. All the freshman engineers had to tour the different departments to help them decide what path to take, and when I was on the Ceramics tour the guide showed us a science fair type piece of cardboard that had a small ceramic disc on the back of it. The disc had two little wires going to a small fm radio and when he turned the radio on I thought I was listening to one of those WaveRadio thingies. It blew me away and the first thing I thought of was I wish they could put those in cars so when the football players turned their bass up too high, if they had a disc on the trunk, at least it would rattle to the music!
Seriously though, I wonder what the Engineering college [clemson.edu] over at Clemson would have to say about this.
All electric motors are also electric generators, and all electric generators are electric motors;
All transmitters are receivers, and all receivers are transmitters;
All microphones are loudspeakers, and all loudspeakers are microphones
So, it's probably just my usual paranoid suspicions, but how easily could one of these things -- or, more likely, a more advanced, optimised version -- be turned into a bug that "listens" to the vibrations put on a large flat surface by, say, casual conversation?
So, it's probably just my usual paranoid suspicions, but how easily could one of these things -- or, more likely, a more advanced, optimised version -- be turned into a bug that "listens" to the vibrations put on a large flat surface by, say, casual conversation?
One of the stocks in trade of espionage / detective fiction for some time have been laser bugs: point an infrared laser at the windows of a room you want to listen to, and the laser detects vibrations in the windows and system converts the vibrations back into sound. Supposed to actually exist. I've seen them advertized, but couldn't confirm the lack of scam.
As far as affixing an electronic device to a hidden location in a room (under a table, say) why not just use a conventional bug?
Passing electricity through the coil causes the piece of Terfonal to slightly expand, resulting in a force of 400 pounds
That's GOTTA do some damage if put on the wrong 'flat surface'. Like maybe a picture windows, or someone's forehead:->
Seriously though, I hope this becomes available in the US when I build my house. I'd LOVE to put these in the walls and make a home theatre without the speakers!
I have found something out over the years, the least likey scenario an engineer can imagine , I and others will do routinley.
There is a pressure of 400lbs aexerted by this gadget, it creates frequncy vibrations in a material that make sound, simple enough.
BUT my desk is partile composite with those idiot lags. No vibrsating the hell out of this 300 piece of junk for a long term is going, very simply to make it fall apart.
I have seen it before, vibration causing the particle composite to litteraly crumble when subjected to long term vibration. Glue seperates, and screws losen.
Imagine if the near-center sounds in a movie actually emanated from the screen itself. You could place several of these on the back of the screen to enhance the directionality.
In fact I thought of this with the NXT flat panel speaker technology (got a pair of those from Mission), and it's probably been done already in some form.
Nikola Tesla was experimenting with this technology--the principle of mechanical resonance--in the 1800's. Margaret Cheney, in her biography, Tesla: Man Out Of Time, relates several stories of his experiments. One was a near disaster, in which he shook nearby buildings--breaking windows and scaring occupants into the streets--before realizing the danger and turning off the tiny electromechanical oscillator he had attached to the iron frame of the building which housed his own laboratory.
Now every white Honda Civic with a "Bad Boy" sticker on the back's going to get turned into a mobile broadcasting station by the kind of suede-baseball cap wearing, mouth breathing slopeheads that drive around playing those stupid CDs that are nothing but bass-boosted 808s going THOOM THOOM THOOM THOOM THOOM at 3 a. frigging m. because they seem to think the child you've finally managed to get to sleep really wants to hear the latest Slap Diddy Fooly Fool CD.
Or strap it to a desk as its intended purpose, turn up the bass, then convince your SO to have sex on the desk. In the middle of the action turn the unit on and enjoy how your SO exclaims, "you really make the world shake!"
You'd probably wind up seriously distorting the image in a multitude of ways. The first (and probably least likely) would be from the sound waves/impacts causing ripples on the display surface.
The second (and much more likely) is the EM field from the soundbug screwing with the plasma display's magnetics. It'd also screw with LCDs for the same reason. You'd probably wind up with a soundbug sized distortion on the front of the screen, with the potential of permanantly trashing that area of the screen if left long enough. And yes, you'd have to attach it to the back of the screen (meaning your flat panel isn't flat anymore), since you kinda want to watch the front of the screen.
Front projectors don't have rigid enough screens for something like this. So it's not even applicable.
And besides, anyone who drops the cash for a good flat panel or front projection system is abysmally stupid for using something like this instead of a good surround sound speaker setup.
I think he meant that if you stick a flat panel tv on the wall and then turn the wall behind it into a speaker you get a significant reduction in used floorspace.
As long as the thumper, which is what I'm gonna call this gadget since it basically thumps the attached surface and makes sound, is far enough away from the screen, there's little or no EM interference. The only thing you need to worry about then is vibrations screwing it up. I imagine placing some kind of vibration damper between the screen and the surface would take care of it.
But if he did mean turning the monitor itself into the speaker, then I agree with you.
Well yah but could I get a ripple effect over the monitor when say showing a water scene or such though?
Hmm, aren't flexible transistors supposed to be coming out Sometime Soon Now?
That would royaly rock, LOL!
I am thinking of direct targeted sound waves to physically manipulate the display instead of some sort of expensive servo mechanism.
Imagine when you are hit with a Rocket your screen warping and bending all around you! Oh man talk about some nifty immersion technologies!
Or when your character leans forward the edges of your screen curving in towards you, or your screen bending back from you when you bend backwards to dodge a bullet!
The possibilities are almost endless!
This would completely blow away that IFeel technology stuff!
Even niftier would be outfitting a multi unit setup like this onto some type of highly rigid rubber but setting the sound waves to the right frequency to cause the rubber to become malleable and move in a coordinated fashion!
Imagine your mouse ACTUALLY becoming jiggly when you go to www.jello.com [jello.com]
In addition, to make a good sound, you need a rather sturdy surface that will affect the air around it for the sound waves. Attaching it to a monitor would only bounce around the monitor because it is absorbing much of the energy and not really transferring it to the air as in sound waves.
The 400 pound pressure (presumably this means 400psi, or something?) applies inside the device, to the components which are moved. These components are moved quickly in order to induce vibrations in the object to which they are attached. The sheet of glass (or whatever) doesn't get 400lb (psi? again) pressure applied to it, it just picks up the vibrations.
Reminds me of those big rubber disks (like neoprene) I put under my turntable for isolation. Maybe you could do that with a table, depending on table mass.
The reverse is a bad idea; using speakers as tables. I was just commenting a moment ago on someone in my department who taped (not duct, tch tch tch) some small cabinets on the top of their monitor, whether it has any ill effect. After moving into an apartment a couple years ago I had no stand (but now have the deluxe cynderblock and plank set:) for my nice flat screen blackstripe monitor and put it up on a big guitar speaker cabinet. It was quite a site to see TV in purples and greens. Fortunately it degaussed and recovered. Never again.
floors? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:floors? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:floors? (Score:3, Interesting)
I read several pieces on this technology, but I'm not exactly sure about the logisitics of these types of devices. Sure, we all know that we vibrate surfaces in order to produce sounds waves. But, these vibrations seem to be pretty disastrous to things that don't want to vibrate (i.e. Your House). So, if you hooked one of these things up behind your drywall it would seem as if any amount of use would cause the wall to shake, drywall screws to become loose, plaster over the drywall to crack, base molding to come loose, and paint to chip/crack. How do they aim to create a vibration without causing all sorts of damage? Well, if we moved it to a hardwood floor (or even better, the composite material wood floors that aren't even nailed into the floor, rather they float as an entire surface together), we could end up with better results. The wood is most likely much better able to handle the vibrations and transfer them well too. But, what happens if you walk across the floor? It would seem that the power of this type of equipment wouldn't be large enough that it could vibrate an additional 150 - 200 lb person. So, as you would walk across floors, you would be creating deadspots all over the place and interfering with the workings of the 'speakers'.
Has anyone seen any articles with an in-depth analysis of how this equipment might work. Despite the poster's comment that "it sounds like there's some seriously cool science behind it." the article was very slim on any technical details.
Re:floors? (Score:2)
Regardless of the sound quality of this particular setup, a 4x8 piece of sheetrock actually makes a fair speaker at resonable volumes, its fine for watching TV or casual radio listening. I used it in my workshop for several months just for the novalty. If you desire very high SPL though, more standard technology would probably be a better investment.
Re:Gives a whole new meaning (Score:2)
Now if this was turning any flat surface into a MICROPHONE.
Re:Gives a whole new meaning (Score:2)
Imagine a maliable case of some sort (obviously the motherboard would have to be mounted by a different means, prehaps from a rack that hangs from the top of the case and not have the edges of the sides of the case maliable) that movies in time to your music. The old WinAmp ripple AV but on a much larger and life-like scale.
I am sure that if the technique was applied to other sources for movement and other materials that the ravers could get into it. Imagine entire dance hall walls that move and pulsate with the music!
body parts? (Score:2, Funny)
Imagine walking down the street, blasting music from your belly
Re:body parts? (Score:2, Interesting)
It says the thing puts out 400lb of pressure.... you want that on your chest? Enjoy!
Re:body parts? (Score:2, Interesting)
since this is one of the mediums they are suggesting you use it with, i dont think it will do too much damage will be placed apon to the original poster if he plans on using his chest. i think one requirement is that the surface be rigid so that it can transmit the sound. i doubt most of our chests are rigid.
Re:body parts? (Score:5, Funny)
Must be a geek chick....
Rock and roll (Score:1)
well... (Score:1)
So it rattles furniture (Score:1, Funny)
it's kinda cute.. (Score:1, Informative)
Re:it's kinda cute.. (Score:2)
Amusingly, Google translate the product name to "sound nose".
Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
For more information (Score:3, Informative)
Apparently, some things that Slashbots debunk as vaporware are made practical :-)
Desk for a speaker? (Score:1)
Re:Desk for a speaker? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Desk for a speaker? (Score:2)
On the lighter side, imagine hooking it up to a wall in your apartment or house, or get 3 y-cables and some cords and hook it up to all four walls. The biggest speakers in the world!
Conference Calls? (Score:4, Interesting)
been around (Score:2, Informative)
Play nice (Score:5, Funny)
Hey, now I can say something good about my roommate!
Re:Play nice (Score:2)
Hey, now I can say something good about my roommate!
And even if he doesn't look good, smell good, or think well, then at least you can make him SOUND good by attaching the bug to his skull!
Re:Play nice (Score:2, Funny)
The hard part would be shaving him clean enough to make the suction cups stick.
Wonderful... (Score:1)
Re:Wonderful... (Score:2)
Riiight...these morons care about sound quality??? Of what, the bass signal? C'mon, maybe what you say works for a sales pitch, but don't try and tell me that mixing road noise with bass-biased eq's and 18" speakers mounted in the back of some yahoo's Gremlin combines to yield "quality sound." That's a load of hooey, and you know it. Nobody who does this kind of activity cares the least about maintaining fidelity to the original signal - if you don't believe me, try out one of these systems on a harpsichord melody, or maybe a flute solo. What these systems are meant to do is project the driver's music as far as possible, to the annoyance of all the people who surround them. That's all. You want "sound-good" you turn on the stereo at home.
Daily AC response (Score:2)
Nope, it's not a troll, and if you really think the stereo in your car combined with road noise (negligible at 80mph? Whaddya drive, a Lexus?
Wireless? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Wireless? (Score:3, Funny)
Your wife moves the furniture? You lucky bastard! My wife makes me move ours.
Re:Wireless? (Score:2)
Yeah, you *THINK* it's lucky until you come home and she says,
"Honey, I moved the furntiure today. You'll need to hook up the TV and the stereo."
"Oh, I see you've moved them to an area where there are no power outlets, and no cable connection. No Problem. *sigh*"
When we move, people are going to wonder why there's a cable jack on every wall.
Re:Wireless? (Score:2)
Marketing Plan? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Marketing Plan? (Score:2, Funny)
Remember the vogons... (Score:3, Funny)
The ultimate feedback loop? (Score:2)
I suspect "loud" would be a good place to start.
More info (Score:5, Informative)
Their website has plenty more glossy pictures, and a bit more info about "smart materials", which are used to make the wall/glass/whatever vibrate. They seem to be similar to piezo-electric materials, though better (at least, that's what the company would have you believe).
Re:More info (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:More info (Score:2)
Re:More info (Score:2)
Can you imagin the protest over zoning commerical then? Everybody could have these babies hooked up to their car hoods and the outside of their windows and everything else flat that they could find.
A virtual soundscape of an urbanized area could then be run though the system to demonstrate exact how bad things would be.
Re:More info (Score:3, Interesting)
RIAA (Score:5, Funny)
dan.
Can you strap this onto your head? (Score:2)
Practical joke ability (Score:5, Insightful)
Imagine sucking this to the underside of someone's desk way back in the knee well. Then attach it to a radio and a timer device that will randomly turn on the radio for a few seconds every few hours.
Imagine attaching this to the door of the person who was making loud, annoying noises with a POTAS whilst you were trying to sleep, and waking them up when you have to go to your 8:00 class!
The possibilities for this device are truely limitless.
Re-enacting Hitchhiker's Guide (Score:3, Funny)
Or the scene at the beginning of HHGTTG, where the Vogon ships turn every radio and flat surface into a remote-controlled speaker.
Lower Your Standards. (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Practical joke ability (Score:2)
Sounds like the time nerd friends of mine put a "Clapper" on the monitor of their nerd boss, set so sensitive that when he put down his Dr. Pepper on the desk, *CLICK*.
Seen it, loved it, want one! (Score:5, Interesting)
Even better, IMHO, is the 'conference call' product they alluded to in the article. I think they're referring to the Soundbubble, which will create a 'bubble' within which you can *only* hear the sound source you want (e.g. the phone call). If you're outside the bubble, you won't be able to hear the phone conversation.
It's absolutely amazing, and the possibilities are endless. Imagine being able to walk into a crowded, noisy bar and be able to have a whispered conversation with the person standing next to you. Neither of you would be able to hear the rest of the bar, and the rest of the bar would be unable to hear you.
It really is like something out of a sci-fi novel. Those of you who have read any Iain M Banks novels will know this works much the same way as his sound fields.
Sounds like the cone of silence (Score:3, Funny)
dar
Re:Sounds like the cone of silence (Score:5, Funny)
--
Ben Coates
Prior art (Score:3, Funny)
I hope they do not intend on getting a patent for "the cone of silence" as pioneered on the American TV show "Get Smart!"
What's next? Attaching these things to GSM shoes?
Re:Seen it, loved it, want one! (Score:2)
Re:Seen it, loved it, want one! (Score:2)
Official Site (Score:3, Informative)
Flat panel speakers (Score:2, Interesting)
I would love to see a more technical analysis of the soundbug and I looked around.
The official site is here [soundbug.biz], and has a nice photo.
A german article is here [golem.de]
However, I did not find a nice frequency response graph based on some standard material like a pane of glass one metre square, or MY office desk ;-) for example.
In all, it looks reasonably cool, and I can see applications everywhere. Now, when am I going to be able to get one in Morocco??
Re:Flat panel speakers (Score:3, Interesting)
If you find the speakers in question "thin" sounding, then it's because they're not very good, or your setup isn't very good. Good flat panels do have a different tone than a box speaker, but they are generally accepted as being just as good as long as you have a top notch subwoofer to cover the bass.
Terfenol? (Score:3, Informative)
>>surface by way of a small piece of Terfenol,
>>which is a mixture of rare earth metals and
>>iron. This substance is placed within an
>>aluminium case, around which is wrapped a coil.
If they make a ton of these, what's that going to mean for our supply of Terfenol? I'm not an environmentalist or anything, but I'm sure people won't be happy.
Here [ucla.edu] is a cool article and picture on Terfenol. Looks like its main purpose is for damping and energy absorption. Kind of looks like gold!
Better version already available (Score:5, Informative)
Interestingly, they were looking for ways to reduce background noise (using anti-noise) when they stumbled across it. They've been available commercially for years.
Official Soundbug site (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Official Soundbug site (Score:2)
Invisible Stereo (Score:4, Interesting)
The first thing I thought of when I saw this were some units from a company called Invisible Stereo. [invisiblestereo.com]
Same deal, just put them behind your drywall, and your entire wall turns into a speaker. Different thicknesses, different frequency responses.
I never heard them in person, but they always intruiged me. Anybody ever use/hear these?
bigger applications (Score:2)
This would really get the subsonics going.
The ultimate would of course be stadiums, for rock concerts and other public events. I can seen the politicians now, using sound to held inspire fear or some other emotion depending on the vibrations being put into the mix.
"I don't know, but I felt sort of tingly when I saw him/her live. TV just doesn't communicate his/her charisma"
Of course, the stress testing of the building designs would have to be taken to a whole new level, to handle the extra energy.
Laurie Anderson's Sound Table (Score:5, Interesting)
But that aside... this reminds me also of something I saw the Musician Laurie Anderson do... I visited her traveling museum (stocked full of VERY COOL things she had invented). One of her inventions was a large wood dinner table. At the point where each person sat was two small indentations in the table - exactly where you would rest your elbows with your hands on your face (as so many of us do while eating).
The cool thing was she had transducers in the holes... you could hear absolutly nothing until you put your elbows in the holes and leaned your head on your hands... then instantly you heard MUSIC in your ears! This was accomplished by bone induction (e.g., the music traveling through your elbow and into your arm bone and out your hand into your head). The quality was astonishing!
The other neat thing was it was fully stereo (unless you were a one-armed-man) and each person at the table got a totally different soundtrack.
Re:Laurie Anderson's Sound Table (Score:2, Informative)
bone induction methods must run in the family (Score:3, Funny)
Re:bone induction methods must run in the family (Score:2)
limited market (Score:2)
Re:limited market (Score:2)
Manufacturer's site (Score:2)
Other stuff on the desk (Score:2)
Reverse the technology (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Reverse the technology (Score:2, Informative)
You use a laser beam to measure vibrations on a window. Window's because they vibrate more easily than whole walls.
Ofcourse this technology is not foolproof, as it is highly sensitive to "structural" background noises like heating systems etc.
Re:Reverse the technology (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Reverse the technology (Score:2)
Darn, those CIAnuts like Britney Spears. Put on the yodeling record from Mars Attacks. 8-)
Finally, Proof! (Score:2)
Now I have proof that such a thing can exist! Proof I say! Proof!
Um, does anyone have a link to an article proving the existence of the little people that steal socks from the dryer too? Thanks.
Video showing how it works.. (Score:2, Informative)
dont expect and Bass response. (Score:2)
Re:dont expect and Bass response. (Score:2)
What do you think a bass drum or a tympani is?
not a soundboard. they are as is a large stringed Bass, a soundbox. A tuned cavity to amplify and shape the resulting sound. a flat board that is not designed specifically as a sound device produce no bass without meeting some simple requirements... large deflection to create the amplitude needed for the very large soundwaves.. BTW, a 60Hz wave needs almost 300 feet to develop into a wave... you can't hear it unless you are inside the sound field of the speaker (2X the diameter of the driven element)
this is also why people that put huge woofers in their trunk of their cars are pretty much un-educated wannabe's.
Nope... it's going to sound as good as a 4inch general purpose speaker... with a probability of awesomne high end dynamic range... but the bass will suck.
Handsfree cellphone (Score:2)
The device can be stuck to a car windscreen, meaning that drivers can have a hands-free conversation without having to wear a headset
Oh boy! And so can anyone else nearby, with their windows rolled down, etc. Greaaaat. Hope you weren't having an intimate conversation, or talking trade secrets!
Thankfully a lot of places have noise ordinances now that could be used against morons placing these things and annoying everyone nearby.
Definitely useful, assuming the sound quality is even mediocre. But I doubt that it's going to replace decent speaker setups anytime soon.
Re:Handsfree cellphone (Score:2)
I wonder where they got that idea... (Score:2)
Seriously though, I wonder what the Engineering college [clemson.edu] over at Clemson would have to say about this.
Other uses, perhaps unintended... (Score:5, Interesting)
So, it's probably just my usual paranoid suspicions, but how easily could one of these things -- or, more likely, a more advanced, optimised version -- be turned into a bug that "listens" to the vibrations put on a large flat surface by, say, casual conversation?
Re:Other uses, perhaps unintended... (Score:2)
As far as affixing an electronic device to a hidden location in a room (under a table, say) why not just use a conventional bug?
Re:carbon microphones are loudspeakers (Score:2)
Re:carbon microphones are loudspeakers (Score:2)
Don't put it on anything breakable! (Score:2)
That's GOTTA do some damage if put on the wrong 'flat surface'. Like maybe a picture windows, or someone's forehead
Seriously though, I hope this becomes available in the US when I build my house. I'd LOVE to put these in the walls and make a home theatre without the speakers!
Re: (Score:2)
Cool right up until..... (Score:3, Informative)
There is a pressure of 400lbs aexerted by this gadget, it creates frequncy vibrations in a material that make sound, simple enough.
BUT my desk is partile composite with those idiot lags. No vibrsating the hell out of this 300 piece of junk for a long term is going, very simply to make it fall apart.
I have seen it before, vibration causing the particle composite to litteraly crumble when subjected to long term vibration. Glue seperates, and screws losen.
Be real neat righ up until your desk collapses
So how loud can this thing get? (Score:2, Interesting)
Movie screens! (Score:2)
In fact I thought of this with the NXT flat panel speaker technology (got a pair of those from Mission), and it's probably been done already in some form.
Tesla did it first (Score:2, Interesting)
Ye Gods (Score:2)
Re:Fun for all the family (Score:3, Funny)
Re:any flat surface? (Score:2)
You'd probably wind up seriously distorting the image in a multitude of ways. The first (and probably least likely) would be from the sound waves/impacts causing ripples on the display surface.
The second (and much more likely) is the EM field from the soundbug screwing with the plasma display's magnetics. It'd also screw with LCDs for the same reason. You'd probably wind up with a soundbug sized distortion on the front of the screen, with the potential of permanantly trashing that area of the screen if left long enough. And yes, you'd have to attach it to the back of the screen (meaning your flat panel isn't flat anymore), since you kinda want to watch the front of the screen.
Front projectors don't have rigid enough screens for something like this. So it's not even applicable.
And besides, anyone who drops the cash for a good flat panel or front projection system is abysmally stupid for using something like this instead of a good surround sound speaker setup.
Re:any flat surface? (Score:2)
As long as the thumper, which is what I'm gonna call this gadget since it basically thumps the attached surface and makes sound, is far enough away from the screen, there's little or no EM interference. The only thing you need to worry about then is vibrations screwing it up. I imagine placing some kind of vibration damper between the screen and the surface would take care of it.
But if he did mean turning the monitor itself into the speaker, then I agree with you.
Re:any flat surface? (Score:2)
Hmm, aren't flexible transistors supposed to be coming out Sometime Soon Now?
That would royaly rock, LOL!
I am thinking of direct targeted sound waves to physically manipulate the display instead of some sort of expensive servo mechanism.
Imagine when you are hit with a Rocket your screen warping and bending all around you! Oh man talk about some nifty immersion technologies!
Or when your character leans forward the edges of your screen curving in towards you, or your screen bending back from you when you bend backwards to dodge a bullet!
The possibilities are almost endless!
This would completely blow away that IFeel technology stuff!
Even niftier would be outfitting a multi unit setup like this onto some type of highly rigid rubber but setting the sound waves to the right frequency to cause the rubber to become malleable and move in a coordinated fashion!
Imagine your mouse ACTUALLY becoming jiggly when you go to www.jello.com [jello.com]
Re:any flat surface? (Score:2)
Re:Unique, yes...smart, no (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Feedback loop (Score:2)
The reverse is a bad idea; using speakers as tables. I was just commenting a moment ago on someone in my department who taped (not duct, tch tch tch) some small cabinets on the top of their monitor, whether it has any ill effect. After moving into an apartment a couple years ago I had no stand (but now have the deluxe cynderblock and plank set :) for my nice flat screen blackstripe monitor and put it up on a big guitar speaker cabinet. It was quite a site to see TV in purples and greens. Fortunately it degaussed and recovered. Never again.
Re:sounding board != soundboard (Score:2)
A soundboard is a resonant surface. A piano has a soundboard, not a sounding board. Ditto for a violin.
A sounding board usually refers to a discussion forum or something like. Historically though, it was the reflecting surface above and behind a pulpit.
More recently, you're right--a sound board is also a mixer.