Researchers at the famed MIT have come up with an ultra-flat speaker that you can simply stick to any surface.
MIT scientists have made a breakthrough in the field of the ultra-flat speaker. Previous thin-film speaker concepts required the membrane to be freely suspended in order to produce sound. The new speaker is built around a thin film of piezoelectric material, equipped with tiny domes that each produce vibrations. An extra layer on top of the film creates a distance between these domes and the outside world, which makes the whole perfectly suitable for everyday use. The ‘dome trick’ makes it possible for the speaker to work on any surface, and to be manufactured as a sticker, for example.
Many application possibilities
An additional advantage of this flat speaker is that it requires much less power than a comparable, traditionally constructed speaker. Applications are legion. Think of – as the researchers themselves suggest – speakers stuck like stickers in an airplane cockpit that produce anti-sound for a wonderfully quiet working environment, for example. Because the speakers can also produce ultrasonic sound, they can be used as positioning aids too (think of the bat). The production process is simple, so the speakers don’t have to be very expensive. More information plus a demonstration here.