Imagine a paper-thin speaker that can turn any surface into an active sound source. It would be perfect for parties & other social events.
According to a statement issued by the institution, MIT engineers have now developed just such a device and report that it produces sound with minimal distortion while using a fraction of the power required for conventional loudspeakers.
Running on very little electrical power
“It’s great to take something that looks like a thin piece of paper, attach 2 paper clips on it, plug-it into your computer’s headphone port, and start listening to emanating from it. It can be used anywhere. It needs a little electricity to work,” said Vladimir Bulovic, Fariborz Maseeh Chair in Emerging Technology, leader of the Organic and Nanostructured Electronics Laboratory (ONE Lab), director of MIT.nano, & senior author of the paper.
The new speakers are palm-sized and weigh about the same, but don’t be fooled. Film can be applied to any surface to produce high-quality sound.
Moreover, parties and events are not its only use. Loudspeakers can provide active noise cancellation even in noisy environments, such as in aircraft cockpits.
This can be achieved by creating a sound that is equal in amplitude but out of phase so that the two sound cancel each other out. It is also ideal for use on smart devices with limited battery life & limited space.
Various applications
Finally, devices may have more creative applications that go beyond audio. Ultrasound can be used to determine where a person is standing in a room and then form sound waves to follow the person. It can also be used to create lighting patterns for future display technologies or to provide new methods of stirring chemicals by immersion in liquids.
Its uses are very diverse, and each is unique: What can you do with these speakers?
