slightly scary but nevertheless interesting technology #1 of 2

[Smith]

We used speakers very much like these (bet they were these) in the
installation at the History Center (Cloudy Waters: Dakota Reflections
on the River). We used motion detection, too, so that when someone
walked underneath the speaker they would hear - either the names of the
38 hung in Mankato in 1862 combined with water sounds - or brief
information about Dakota history.  They are freaky...ummmmm...you hear
the voices in your head, not your ears.  It's a power that should only
be used for good.
____________________________________
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Marty's blog-in-progress
On Apr 27, 2005, at 10:13 AM, Richard LaFortune wrote:

> Woody Norris has a way of getting inside your head ...
>
> by David Sparrow
>
>
>
>
>  Woody Norris has a way of getting inside your head.
> No, we don't mean his overpowering handshake or
> Barnumesque penchant for self-promotion ("This is the
> biggest thing in audio in 77 years"). We mean
> HyperSonic Sound, his latest creation. (A prolific
> inventor, Norris, 64, also won a Best of What's New
> for a personal flying machine.)
>
> Unlike traditional speakers, which scatter sound,
> Norris' device streams it in a precise, laser-like
> beam for up to 150 yards with almost no degradation in
> quality or volume. If that seems incredible, trust me,
> it is.
>
> When I met Norris in September he pointed the
> 7-inch-square emitter at me from 30 feet away.
> Suddenly I heard the sound of birds chirping. The
> noise didn't seem to emanate from his device; I felt
> like it was generated inside my noggin. Yet a guy just
> 2 feet away from me couldn't hear it.
>
> How does it work? The piezoelectric transducer emits
> sound at frequencies above the human ear's
> 20,000-cycle threshold. Unlike low-frequency waves,
> the high-frequency signals don't spread out as they
> travel through air. Yet they do interact with the air
> to induce a related set of ultrasonic waves. These
> waves combine with the original waves, interfering to
> create an audible signal, focused into a beam.
>
> The applications are numerous, if not apparent:
> Thousands of soda machines in Tokyo will soon bombard
> passersby with the enticing sound of a Coke being
> poured, and several U.S. supermarkets will promote
> products to shoppers as they walk down corresponding
> aisles. Eventually HyperSonic Sound might enable a
> nightclub to play disco on one side of the dance floor
> and salsa on the other. Ambulances equipped with
> hypersonic sirens could clear the streets without
> waking the neighbors. Norris' company, American
> Technology, sells the devices for $600.
>
> http://www.popsci.com/popsci/bown/article/0,16106,388134,00.html
>
>
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