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Sound beam audio projection technology matures and improves the CHOPS audio experience

One of the most unusual audio display technologies to hit the tradeshow and special events industries is the HSS (TM) Sound Beam audio projector, a device that can aim sound like a spotlight. CHOPS creator Gary Jesch says, if you really want to catch people, grab them by the ear.

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 HSS Sound Beam is a directed audio sound system product made by Parametric Sound Corp. and marketed by International Robotics Inc. of New York City. It is a 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. It will work well on kiosks and anywhere that controlling the direction of sound is important, such at theme parks and family entertainment centers, retail spaces and museums."

Jesch with his original Sound Beam Unit Jesch can 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 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 adds 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.

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.