Invisible speakers brought a step closer: Architects rejoice!

Not sure how they perform and how the quality is but this is an architecs wet dream but also for me as a designer it can be a great thing to use uin a building. Specially when they are so thin and flexible you can yse them as part of a projection screen. No hassle anymore for the centerspeaker:) Bit thanks again to inAVate for bringing this

Invisible speakers brought a step closer: Architects rejoice!

23 February 2010

Researchers over at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing, Engineering and Automation (IPA) in Germany have prototyped a new loudspeaker made using carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The concept was demonstrated last week at the Nano Tech 2010 show in Tokyo, Japan. Using CNTs, a simple and slim loudspeaker can be made without the need for components such as magnets and piezoelectric devices, enabling speakers to be placed in a variety of different locations.

Images from TechOn


The demonstration model measured 8cm x 6cm and was made simply by applying a conductive coating onto a PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) film, which contained CNTs. When a 12V direct voltage is applied to it, and the current is switched on and off rapidly, it generates an audio signal corresponding to the frequency of the switching.


“The principle of the sound generation is based on the thermoacoustic effect,” said a Fraunhofer IPA spokesperson. “The CNTs generate heat and expand when the current is on, and they cool down and shrink when the current is off.”


It is this expansion and contraction of the film that moves the air molecules and creates the resulting sound. The demo model is said to have a frequency response of 200Hz – 20kHz, so not really a sub woofer (yet).

Close-up of the panel


The major benefit of the speaker is its extraordinary thinness. The demonstrated device was only 200 microns thick (about twice as thick as a human hair).This allows to be mounted on a number of flat surfaces such as wallpaper or advertising boards.


However researchers at the institute have also speculated that if fewer nanotubes could used in the film, it would be possible to make it completely transparent. Maybe the invisible loudspeaker is possible after

Paper-thin speaker collects tech gong - a new dimension in audio books

14 October 2009

A paper-thin speaker technology was recently honoured at the Wall Street Journal’s global Technology Innovation awards. At the ceremony on October 13, 2009 Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute scooped an award for its fleXpeaker concept that is set to revolutionise sound in industries from digital signage to automotive. According to the Wall Street Journal, ITRI is considering options, including licensing or the creation of a new company, to bring the product to market.

ITRI paper-thin flexible loudspeaker (fleXpeaker)

InAVate first reported on the technology back in April. Back then, although it was a relatively unknown product, researchers were confidently claiming the product would be used for in-car audio in 2010. The prestigious award should contribute to putting the product firmly on the map, escalating the likelihood that we will see fleXspeaker out in the market over the next year.


The technology project, supported by Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs saw of competition from 500 competitors to snatch the award that recognises its efforts in research and development.


The Wall Street Journal commented: “Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute, or ITRI, won in the consumer-electronics category for its work developing a paper-thin, flexible speaker. Researchers at ITRI, devised a way to create arrays of tiny speakers that can be combined to produce high-fidelity speaker systems of almost any size. Because the fleXpeaker is lightweight and consumes little power, it could be attractive for use in cellphones or in car sound systems. Other possible applications include giant banners that could be used to deliver public-service announcements in train stations or advertising messages in shopping malls. ITRI is seeking to license the technology or create a spin-off company to commercialise the product.”


ITRI president Dr Johnsee Lee explained: “ITRI commenced with R&D of the paper-thin flexible loudspeaker in 2006 through the team led by General Director Dr Yi-Jen Chan in Electronic & Optoelectronic Research Laboratories. Presently, ITRI has applied for 45 global patents for its 17 projects. Applications for this technology are rather extensive and with enormous industry potential. Aside from currently using in family stereo automobile hi-fi equipment, it can also be used in earphone or for industrial anti-noise purpose. The papers of this technology have been published at the largest display exhibition in the world—the US Display Consortium (USDC), the Society For Information Display (SID), and also adopted by the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America in 2009.”


The paper-thin flexible loudspeaker utilises paper and metal layers and is produced with a printing technique. Aside from upgrading traditional speaker industry, it can be integrated into energy-saving buildings, electric vehicles, and will be suited to entertainment and medical applications.

Researchers Make Paper Stereo Speakers .... now just combine them with the ink-wallpaper

ok, the next cool thing is the flexible speaker. Can you imagine a poster of your fav. artist that also plays his/her/their music or a poster of a movie playing the theme:) And the nice thing is they are working on a BT version as well. This would definately deliver wife proof surround sound speakers (but you still need a subwoofer). It also has the potential to recreate projection screens. Imagine a projection screen where the center speaker actually is the screen reflecting the sounds coming from the screen. Would be great in videoconferencing. Now just connect is to the technology to create interactive wallpaper and the wallpaper is not just an image but a movie with sound

The article as published at PCWorld:

A Taiwanese research group has developed stereo speakers in paper, which will lead to low-cost speakers perfect for thin devices such as LCD TVs or even talking movie posters to be used as advertisements.

Engineers at Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) have already produced rolls of paper stereo speakers and say they will be used in cars starting from next year. They are also planning a splash introduction of the new technology at a big exhibition in Taipei next year in which they will unroll a three-story high banner that can blare out tunes.

"A lot of companies are interested in this product," said Chen Ming-daw, a research director at ITRI. "We don't have enough people to handle all the attention right now."
They call it Flexpeaker because you can roll it up or fold it just like regular paper.
One cool way the technology will be used is on movie posters.

The goal for the researchers is to be able to mass produce standard poster-size speakers (A2, or 60centimeters by 44cm) costing just US$20 each. Movie makers could then put out posters with soundtrack music or movie highlights emanating from them as people walk by.
The special paper is made by sandwiching thin electrodes that receive audio signals and a prepolarized diaphragm into the paper structure. A special Flexpeaker adapter between the MP3 player and the speaker is used to play music through the paper. But in a year, ITRI hope to develop a chip that will do away with the adapter and allow people to plug a digital music player directly into the speaker.

They're also working on wireless technologies.
In July, the group will show off its first Bluetooth enabled paper speaker, which will eliminate the need for wires, said Liou Chang-ho, project manager of ITRI's Flexpeaker initiative.
One limitation with Flexpeaker is that while It's very good with sounds at frequencies between 500Hz to 20KHz, it doesn't handle low frequency sounds well.

That problem can be offset by adding a subwoofer to any system with the paper speakers, said Liou. That's the idea ITRI is working on for LCD TV makers. The paper speakers are so thin that they're perfect for the current push to ultra thin LCD TVs, a maker simply has to add a subwoofer to make a quality sound system.

ITRI is already working with a company to produce the speakers in rolls, like rolls of paper.
"Once it's being made in rolls, the cost will drop a lot," said Liou.