acoustics
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British scientists create a 'tractor beam' of ultrasonic sound
A team of researchers from the Universities of Bristol and Sussex have developed the world's first functioning sonic tractor beam able to operate outside of a lab environment. The device uses 64 miniature speakers to generate high-amplitude, ultrasonic sound waves. These waves create an "acoustic hologram" (read: force field) capable of moving pea-sized objects without physically touching them. Adjusting the output of individual speakers allows the researchers to move, rotate and hold items at will.
Amazon Acoustics channels 'MTV Unplugged' for Prime Music
Exclusive content is all the rage these days when it comes to music streaming services, and Amazon has some new goods of its own. The retailer announced Amazon Acoustics today, a collection of unplugged performances from a variety of artists. As you might expect, the songs are only available for purchase from Amazon or streaming from Prime Music. And yes, Prime members get them at no additional charge. In terms of the artist lineup, there are originals and covers from JJ Grey, Train, Five For Fighting, Michelle Branch, Marc Roberge of O.A.R., Surfer Blood, Deer Tick and more for 32 total tracks.
Soon you can own the world's first electric keyboard
When Hermann von Helmholtz designed what was essentially the world's first electric keyboard, he didn't do out of a need to lay down crunchy riffs on the shores of the Rhine. What he needed was a way to generate tones and mix timbres in a bid to better understand the musicality and substance of vowel sounds. He ultimately came up with a series of electrically activated tuning forks hooked up to brass resonators, and now you can try to own one of your every own... assuming you've got between at least $20,000 burning a hole in your pocket. This particular unit -- hewn of wood and keys whittled from African ivory -- wasn't made by Helmholtz himself, but it is one of the few remaining examples of such 19th century tech still in existence. To hear auction broker Bonhams tell the tale, there's just one other floating around the United States (another seems to be in safe hands at the University of Toronto). Intrigued? The Helmholtz synthesizer will go up for auction in New York come late October along with a slew of other scientific curios from back in the day.
Storyboard: RP in the key of C
Music is kind of a big deal. The right choice of music can change a scene from being happy to ominous, and intentionally mismatching the scene and the music can lead to hilarious results with minimal effort. In-game music makes use of this, naturally, and it's rare to find something stirring and peppy in the midst of a zone filled with volcanoes and demons. We rely on the background music to set a mood and underscore what's taking place at any given moment. All that goes for roleplaying, too. But the odds are that the game music isn't going to provide the romantic music you need in the Undercity in World of Warcraft or the driving combat music you need on your bridge in Star Trek Online. Game music is meant for people who are playing; the music you need is closer to scoring a film. So given the importance of music, let's talk about it just a little this week. After all, having the right tune playing can make a lasting impression, even if it's just on the people within earshot.
Toshiba unveils MQ01ABD HDD series, packs 1TB on a 9.5mm frame
It's been barely four months since Toshiba introduced its MK7559GSXP -- a tightly-packed, 750GB hard drive that, believe it or not, has already been eclipsed by the MQ01ABD series. Unveiled yesterday, the company's new lineup of 2.5-inch HDDs offers up to 1TB of storage capacity, thanks to an architecture that squeezes 500GB out of every platter. Standing at 9.5mm tall, the 5,400RPM drives also boast an areal density of 744Gb per square inch, and are designed to maximize energy efficiency, burning just 0.55 watts in idle mode. Gamers and entertainment gurus, meanwhile, would benefit from the MQ01ABD's enhanced acoustics, which max out at 19dB in idle, and 24dB while seeking. No word yet on pricing, but the beasts are scheduled to go into mass production by the middle of this month. For more of the nitty gritty, gallop past the break for the full press release.
Caltech researchers devise acoustic diode that sends sound one-way, could harvest energy
Sound has this habit of traveling in more than one direction -- useful in most circumstances, but not so welcome when a person in one room is looking for a little peace and quiet while someone in the next is blasting music. Sound-proofing is one solution to that problem, but some researchers at Caltech say they've now come up with a better one: an acoustic diode that can be tuned to allow sound to pass through in only one direction. As you might expect, however, that's all still very much in the early stages, but the researchers say the technology could eventually allow for "true soundproofing," or even be used for other purposes, like scavenging sound energy from structural vibrations and turning that into electricity. The official announcement with some of the finer details is after the break, and the researchers' full paper is published in the July 24th issue of Nature Materials.
Duke University physicists test first air-based acoustic invisibility cloak
Firmly departing from the Stuff Of Dreams category, Duke University physicists have successfully tested an acoustic cloaking device that fools sound waves while looking nowhere near as scifi as you'd think. Layering nothing more than a bunch of hole-punched plastic sheets -- known as meta-materials, for those curious -- atop a ten centimeter long block of wood, highly-directed sound in the 1 - 4kHz range bounced right off the concealed object none the wiser. The cloaking tech owes some of its origin to the math behind transformation optics -- and maybe to the Duke team, too. Besides allowing defense department bunkers to erupt into silent applause, the research should prove useful in the construction of future concert halls. DIY hobbyists, let us know what you can rig up with some trash bags. [Thanks, Drew]
Orbitsound T14 soundbar debuts at CES, will take its sweet time getting to market (hands-on)
You'll be forgiven for being a little misty on who exactly Orbitsound is -- the British company has only sold its T12 soundbar in the domestic market -- but today it's reminding everyone of its presence with a brand new product for CES-goers in the T14 you see above. The company's patented "spatial stereo" sound is still the big selling point, promising a revolutionary aural experience that eliminates the need to occupy the traditional sweet spot for enjoying stereo sound. That's achieved via six 2.5-inch drivers and a studio-class amp that "senses" surrounding acoustic conditions and calibrates output for best results. A bold claim, to be sure, but you'd expect no less for something that will cost $600 when it becomes Orbitsound's first global launch later this year. Wireless technology is also put to good use, with the T14 communicating through the air with its accompanying subwoofer and wireless iPod / iPhone dock. We'll be tracking one down while here in Vegas and trying to figure out just how spaced out its sound really is. %Gallery-112590%
La Boite Concept LD120 is the hi-fi desk your laptop's been crying out for (video)
Why more people aren't doing this kind of thing, we don't know. La Boite Concept, a French design studio with a focus on electronic acoustics, has put together the above piece of laptop-loving music furniture, dubbed the LD120. It features a total of seven drivers, including a down-firing subwoofer and a stereo pair at the rear, the latter of which is intended to bounce sound off a wall and neatly into your ear canal. You'll still only be getting 2.1 audio output at the end of it, but when it emanates from a leather-trimmed desk equipped with its own USB sound card and a cable-tidying channel in one of its legs, we're kind of willing to overlook that little detail. We only wish we could be as blasé about the price, which at €980 ($1,300) places the LD120 strictly on our "hope someone buys us one" list. [Thanks, Samiksha]%Gallery-108325%
UK defense firm pumps data through solid submarine walls
Wireless power may still be on the drawing board, but wireless data is here today, and a UK defense contractor has figured out a way to pipe the latter through several inches of steel. Using a pair of piezoelectric transducers on either side of a watertight submarine compartment, BAE's "Through Hull Data Link" sends and receives an acoustic wave capable of 15MHz data rates, enough to transmit video by essentially hammering ever-so-slightly on the walls. BAE impressed submarine commanders by streaming Das Boot right through their three-inch hulls, and while metadrama is obviously the killer app here, the company claims it will also save millions by replacing the worrisome wiring that's physically routed via holes in a submarine's frame. See the company's full US patent application at our more coverage link.
Bongiovi Acoustics unveils miracle DSP chip for car audio
If there were ever a time where we'd need to hear it before we believed it, this would be it. Tony Bongiovi, an audio engineer who's been around the block a time or two (read: he worked with Hendrix), has finally crafted the miracle chip he's been missing for decades. Dubbed the Digital Power Station (DPS, not to be confused with DSP), the microchip is described as a "very sophisticated equalizer," and while it was originally "the size of a refrigerator," he looked to Glenn Zelniker, a specialist in digital signal processing, to program a wee chip to do the same thing. The result is a dynamically programmed microchip based on an off-the-shelf DSP from Freescale Semiconductor, which is housed in special headunits (like JVC's KD-S100) and has more than "120 points of adjustment" to tune the tunes to fill each vehicle perfectly. Reportedly, the chip even turns factory speakers into high-fidelity drivers, as it calculates the dimensions of the vehicle and the abilities of the cones while outputting the audio. The JVC unit will cost "between $700 and $1,000 installed," since you'll have to schedule an appointment with your service department to get the correct software installed for your make and model, but we'd suggest a trial listen before you plunk down your one large.[Via PhysOrg]
