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Audio only where you want it with the Klang Ultrasonic Speakers concept

Audio only where you want it with the Klang Ultrasonic Speakers concept
The Klang speaker concept proposes using ultrasound to direct and focus audio only where it's required
The Klang speaker concept proposes using ultrasound to direct and focus audio only where it's required
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The ultrasonic transmitters would allow the user to control exactly where the sound emerges from the billions of points along the path of the signal
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The ultrasonic transmitters would allow the user to control exactly where the sound emerges from the billions of points along the path of the signal
By having the signal originate at a single node and directing it into a dish, the node's relative position to the focal point of the dish determines the spread of the sound
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By having the signal originate at a single node and directing it into a dish, the node's relative position to the focal point of the dish determines the spread of the sound
The Klang Ultrasonic Speakers would allow a user to focus sound so it could be restricted to just one listener or opened up to a whole room
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The Klang Ultrasonic Speakers would allow a user to focus sound so it could be restricted to just one listener or opened up to a whole room
The technology for Klang was inspired by inventor Woody Norris
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The technology for Klang was inspired by inventor Woody Norris
The Klang speaker concept proposes using ultrasound to direct and focus audio only where it's required
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The Klang speaker concept proposes using ultrasound to direct and focus audio only where it's required
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Rather than sound being pumped out from a loudspeaker in all directions, the Klang speaker concept proposes using a low level ultrasound to direct the audio only where it's required, leaving silence everywhere else. Such a system might allow audio output from a television to be sent to a different place in a room to sound from a hi-fi, allowing each listener to enjoy the experience without inconveniencing the other.

Industrial designer Adam Moller told Gizmag that while researching audio equipment for a six week speaker system project, he stumbled upon an online video featuring inventor Woody Norris. The successful tinkerer was demonstrating his Hypersonic speakers – a system that beams ultrasound at frequencies above the range of human hearing in a narrow column. This approach means that instead of being created at the speaker cone, sound is generated at billions of points along the path of the ultrasound beam where the high-frequency waves mix with "corruptions" in the air and are broken down to an audible range. The result: only those in the path of the beam can hear the sound.

Norris' directional systems are already used by the military as a type of "sound canon" but it's the potential consumer audio applications – where sound can be generated right next to the listeners ear – which grabbed Moller's attention.

"I was immediately inspired," said Moller. "I saw technology that had the potential to connect people to their audio like never before. I also saw an opportunity to take it one step further by making the signal spread adjustable. By having the signal originate at a single node and directing it into a dish, the node's relative position to the focal point of the dish determines the spread of the sound. This means you can focus the sound on just yourself, or spread the signal to fill a wider area if you have company. Now you can have the privacy of traditional headphones without the wires, discomfort, and isolation."

The ultrasonic transmitters would allow the user to control exactly where the sound emerges from the billions of points along the path of the signal
The ultrasonic transmitters would allow the user to control exactly where the sound emerges from the billions of points along the path of the signal

Such a system would also allow those looking for true binaural sound to point one transmitter at the left ear and the other at the right and enjoy faithful audio reproduction and without worrying about disturbing those around them. Sound absorbing objects within a room that can make or break great audio reproduction are almost completely taken out of the picture.

The Klang Ultrasonic Speakers are, sadly, just a concept model at the moment – created using a 3D printer with lathe-turned brass and instacast pieces. Moller says that the "underlying goals of this project were to get people to rethink what personal audio means to them, and to show where sound technology could be in the future."

With the ability to direct and control audio already being available thanks to Norris, that future may not be too far off.

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4 comments
4 comments
Dan79
I am surprised that this approach is not more popular. i saw a rough and ready University project 5 years ago that achieved this. He wasnt the smartest student in the class....
Timothy Loose
concept model == non-functional prototype?
Swami Poindexter
The approach is severely limited in low frequency extension, unless the radiators are gigantic. It has a few niche applications such as point-of-sale, intercom-like communications---things with voice-comm bandwidths---and the aformentioned military anti-personnel ones. It is unlikely to ever be suitable for high fidelity, nor is there any reason that it needs to.

Nice industrial design though! :)
Raymond Johnson
Can you Say ultra Private phone conversations?