Do you love to listen to music? Music lovers have two options when listening to their favorite jams. Either they can play music on speakers and risk annoying those around them or they can wear headphones and risk being oblivious to the world around them.
Well, there is now a third option. Noveto Systems, an Israeli company based in Petach Tikvah, has debuted SoundBeamer 1.0 – a sound beaming device that lets you hear sounds no one around you can hear, no headphones necessary.
It almost feels like a concept straight out of a sci-fi movie. According to Noveto, SoundBeamer 1.0 gives you a private listening experience by creating a personal sound bubble around you. In other words, SoundBeamer 1.0 not only allows you to listen to whatever you’d like without disturbing others, but it also enables you to hear what’s going on in the room clearly – all without wires or airpods.
That means it will become perfectly normal to play music or listen to a podcast in the office without your co-workers knowing while simultaneously participating in water cooler conversations. The gunshot sounds in the video game you’re playing won’t be heard by your spouse even though you’re sitting in close proximity, and your children won’t be able to hear the content of your videoconference, but you’ll be able to listen to them studying or doing their homework.
How does it work? SoundBeamer 1.0 creates sound pockets around your ears. It automatically locates and tracks your ear position and sends ultrasonic waves directly to it. You are free to walk around, although a path between you and the speaker is necessary to enable the device to locate your ears.
Noveto’s futuristic audio technology is set up in a way that gives the listener the sensation of hearing sound on a speaker, kind of like a private 360-degree sound experience. According to reports from those who tested the prototype, it almost feels like the sound is inside your ears, while also in front, above, and behind them – which may not be for everyone. The audio on Soundbeamer 1.0, though, is of superior quality, and listeners will feel as if they have been transported into the soundscape playing on the device.
It’s worth noting that sound beaming isn’t new. However, this is the first time a device that creates individual sound bubbles is available to consumers.
SoundBeamer 1.0 looks like a normal speaker. The desktop version prototype has already debuted, and a more compact version of Noveto System’s SoundBeamer 1.0 is expected to be ready for consumer release towards the end of 2021.