Here at Stuff HQ we know Turtle Beach as the company that makes affordably tough gaming headsets, which we’re wont to use to swear at communicate with our teammates online. But the audio company is far more than that, as this video of their HyperSound directional glass speakers shows.
HyperSound operates under Turtle Beach’s umbrella, but they make more esoteric products, like the speakers in question. These are glass panels that direct sound in a very specific direction. The demonstration video, which we’re assured does not have anyone fiddling with a volume knob, shows this off to great effect by putting the glass rectangles on a turntable. As soon as the speakers move off centre, the sound all but vanishes. Pretty good trick, if you can do it.
And apparently HyperSound can do it. The direction sound from clear panes of glass uses similar tech to the one that makes touchscreens possible. The panel is made up of sandwiches of glass and clear electronics to create a beam of sound that the company likens to a flashlight shining light (or in this case, sound) to a specific location.
Getting direction sound to play out of a transparent pane of glass is impressive enough but they intend to look at bringing the innovation to “…potentially integrating into desktop monitors, commercial displays, desktop speakers, [and] automotive dashboard glass” next.
Source: HyperSound