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How could you project
your company's message for over 75 feet, and not blast out anyone walking by your
booth? Using the extraordinary technology of sound Projection
to extend CHOPS' voice to a tradeshow entrance, your message
will be heard in a unique and "ear-catching" way.
The Sound Beam
is a directed audio sound system product made by American
Technology Corporation and marketed by International
Robotics Inc. of New York City. It is described as
the world's first fully directional sound emitting device
that can remotely convert other surfaces into an audio
source, just like aiming a flashlight. There are no crossovers,
enclosures, tweeters, woofers or other conventional speaker
elements. The sound we hear is actually generated in
the air indirectly, as a conversion byproduct of the
interaction of ultrasonic sound waves and the air itself
(from the manual.)
No sound is
projected to the sides or rear of the unit, as it emits
only a cylinder-shaped ultrasonic carrier wave that can
be focused and projected into the environment. If the
carrier wave hits a surface that is flat and hard, it
will reflect at the same angle it hit. Some sound will
scatter, but the majority will bounce back and follow
the new path.
People in the
direct path of the sound beam will hear the sound in
a self-contained, invisible column, about three or four
feet in diameter, generated by the device, passing by
their heads. The sound can easily travel 100 feet without
dissipating in strength by very much.
“Just
as our interactive characters catch the eye with their
unusual appearance, the Sound Beam catches the ear and
gathers people to where the video puppets appear,” states
Gary Jesch, Digital Puppeteer of CHOPS & Associates
Live Animation and creator of CHOPS (Cyber Human On a
Performance System). “Many people are much more
oriented around what they hear, so the Sound Beam becomes
a 'secret weapon' that is heard, but not seen, adding
another aspect to the CHOPS experience.”
Jesch will use
the HSS technology at tradeshows, in combination with
his Bubble Screen display system, an ultra-bright, round
screen that is two feet in diameter and a quarter-inch
thick. The Sound Beam is projected from behind the Bubble
Screen where CHOPS appears, so it seems like the sound
is coming out of his mouth. Jesch can also aim the device
to wave the sound across a large audience at a corporate
meeting or special event, creating the effect that the
sound is moving, in a different way than using stationary
stereo speakers.
"I'm looking
forward to putting it in the hands of my tradeshow and
special event customers who will think of ways of using
it, that I haven't even imagined," says Jesch. "It
will add another dimension to the CHOPS experience -
similar to the way mice were attracted to the Pied Piper
in children's stories. Imagine that - the visual appeal
of the Wizard of Oz and the auditory appeal of the Pied
Piper, plus multiple layers of video and game show content,
all on unusual display systems. Now it's getting interesting," he
observes.
The current
device Jesch owns will eventually be replaced by updated
models that expect to feature hi-fi sound ranges, remote
control, Smart Memory chips for automatic playback and
larger arrays for a broader coverage.
And will the
Sound Beam be banned from tradeshow floors for interfering
with neighboring booths? Jesch says while that the rules
cover the volume of the speakers, not the direction they
are pointed, it could become controversial. Meanwhile,
his clients will have a secret weapon they can point
at the front entrance, into their competitor's booth,
or down a long aisle to attract their customers by what
they hear and see.
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