No Headphones, No Problem: This Acoustic Trick Bends Sound Through Space to Find You

What if you could listen to music or a podcast without headphones or earbuds and without disturbing anyone around you? Or have a private conversation in public without other people hearing you? Our newly published research introduces a way to create audible enclaves – localized pockets of sound that are isolated from their surroundings. In other words, we’ve developed a technology that could create sound exactly where it needs to be. The ability to send sound that becomes audible only at a specific location could transform entertainment, communication and spatial audio experiences. What is sound? Sound is a vibration that travels through air as a wave. These waves are created when an object moves back and forth, compressing and decompressing air molecules. The frequency of these vibrations is what determines pitch. Low frequencies correspond to deep sounds, like a bass drum; high frequencies correspond to sharp sounds, like a whistle. Controlling where sound goes is difficult bec ... Read full article.