Allison interviews Myriam Marcetteau from Acoustic Arts about their highly directional speakers. This specialized speaker is designed to direct sound with a very narrow beam so that only the person at which the speaker is directed hears the audio. This device has applications where individuals in public settings (such as waiting rooms, transportation, museums and commercial centers) would like listen to audio without distracting others. The setting is the CES Unveiled show floor.
Learn more at akoustic-arts.com
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I remember seeing something on TV years and years ago where a show floor demo was done – no idea which show – that had a dance floor about two metres across with a large speaker system suspended above it. If you were on the dance floor you could hear the music and boogie down, but anywhere outside there was nothing to hear.
When listening to Myriam describe the applications for this tech near the end, it occurred to me it could be REALLY interesting to use directed audio in a crowd. In the UK they have some public CCTV installations where the operators can talk over a speaker to people in the area – such as to discourage them from antisocial or criminal behaviour without having to send in police officers. Imagine if you could target just the one person. Probably send them on their way just by freaking them out that no-one around was taking any notice while they’re being told off!