LiveScience.com is spreading the word on speakers that don’t spread much of anything – except precisely where they’re pointed. Think of them as being like an iPod without earbuds. You just turn ’em on and listen to your own private audio:
The researchers devised a simple prototype involving half-inch speakers, nine of which were arranged in a row 13 inches (33 centimeters) long. They found there was a 20-decibel or more difference in sound intensity between the listening zone and outside it — the difference between, say, a normal conversation and a whisper.
Lee and his colleagues suggest personal sound systems could find use with laptops and televisions. “But the ultimate goal are mobile phones and PDA systems,” Lee told LiveScience.
The prank potential behind this technology seems limitless.