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Inflatable Loudspeakers
fm6 sent in an article running at New Scientist talking about new technology that allows Inflatable Loud Speakers. The technology is apparently patented and there's not a lot of technical details, but I have to say the concept amuses me. And I somehow doubt that this technology will ever be used in high fidelity home systems.
you need to blow air into for it to play sounds...
Flute, anyone?
Make even shorter URLs - 8LN.org
All I need now is an inflateable stero and some inflateable CDs. Seriously though, how cool is this? And wouldn't it be awesome to inflate/deflate them while their ON? Bet that would sound awesome.
Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
Since when do roadies complain of back problems? Is this opening the doors up to elderly women who want to travel with bands and set up stages? A 4x12 cabinet is not that heavy at all, some even have wheels, and most of them have handles. They're not awkward. I used to lug mine around when I was a 120 pound stick in high school.. Ah well.
Also, if these things are so light, it would be funny to see the speakers push so much air that the air-cabinet starts floating away.. I wouldn't dare stack these things, a gust of wind could stop a concert..
This definitely didn't have to change.. I just hope it's a proof of concept, and they'll find something better to apply this technology to at a later time.. (Pool speakers???)
If they were waterproof, or water-resistant, they'd be very popular with outdoor venues - don't have to worry too much about the rain that way. That said, if they were waterproof, there'd be some moron trying to use them in his swimming pool.
*****
There are many people in this country who, through no fault of their own, are sane.
If you fill them with helium, will your music sound like the chipmonks?
Disconnect your television. Do your own research. Draw your own conclusions. They're probably lying. Don't be a sheep.
"Ellula's speakers resemble brightly coloured audio beach balls and are aimed at the home, for use with portable stereos and computers." They're ones to talk about things being awkward..imagine having beachballs for speakers. As if our desks weren't unstable and crowded enough already, we now have the option of using brightly colored beach balls for speakers..just great if you have kids..they'd spike the 'beach ball' into another room!
Job? I don't have time to get a job! Who will sit around and bitch about being broke and unemployed then?
This technology would be great for rave parties. Inflatable speakers would transport easily, and be easy to leave behind. And you could shoot lasers and lights through them ;)
Good for clubs, and gigging in general, I guess.
.\\12
I thought the patent process requires that the inventor disclose information about how the product works, and after the patent expires the public can use it freely. Isn't it opposed to a trade secret, where the inventor doesn't get protection if someone else reverse-engineers the product or happens to invent the same thing independently?
A speaker driver is mounted in a flat, rigid board bonded to a large bladder. When the bladder is inflated, it expands to form a box shape resembling a speaker cabinet.
I'd like to see the first time someone tries to dramatically smash their guitar against the speakers at the end of a set.
Inflatable loudspeakers could blow out roadies
so now rock bands will want to set up there own system? including filling them full of air? what about the speaker itself, will that suddenly get lighter?
talk about trying to market to a problem that doesn't exist, sheeesh.
if all things are equal(same sound quality, etc,etc,etc...) then there only advantage is less storage space. Which is a cost savings advantge.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
those impromptu van parties! Gotta have sound? No problem... you're at the beach anyhow, blowing up rafts and such, why not just toss in the speakers with 'em?
Of course, you may run into trouble with those knife-wielding locals who stop by to "ask you nicely to turn it down"... oops, we lost another one, better get the pump out again. Anybody got a tire patch?
Today must be silly invention day; first we've got those funky cell phones, then the uber-watch that runs Linux, now inflatable speakers to go with it all... I'd better stock up on my geek t-shirts now
And no one has mentioned filling them with helium yet...how disappointed I am! Watch them speakers float around...lol. For those tripping it'd be even more amusing.
Do you know why the road less traveled by is littered with the bones of the unwary?
Imagine a Beowulf cluster of these...!
No, really. A set of them, inflated with helium and suspended with cables...could make for quite the sound experience. Also imagine the possibilities of using them in urban areas in emergency situations where information may need to be conveyed to a large amount of people.
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And the Angel said unto me, "These are the cries of the carrots! The cries of the carrots!"
Now I am starting to get scared.
"It is a greater offense to steal men's labor, than their clothes"
I'll to get some to entertain my *inflate* *inflate* girlfriend..
Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known. -- Carl Sagan
And if you want your bass to go boom, you over-inflate them.
blown speakers. Guffaw.
Comparing it to Windows will be a moot point, since El Dorado is going to have a 40% larger code base than XP.
Literally.
Extra lame stuff to pass the lameness filter.
What is pirate software? Software for inventory of stolen treasure?
Riff: "Straight-pins vs. inflatable technology: the straight-pin always wins" [sluggy.com]
I've worked with some SoundTube products before. They were excellent. We used thew in several hanging locations and on the ground in theme parks, so they received a 70 volt distributed PA signal. They played a mix of classical and pop music all day. Sound quality was not excellent, but certainly very good. They were very power efficient and very durable. Bats, Birds, Bees, rain, manure, even lawnmovers attacked these things on a daily basis and they still worked great. One of the nicest outdoor PA speakers I ever worked with.
I fancy myself something of an audiophile, and I can say with all certainty that the inflatable loudspeaker is the most exciting new development in the home audio world of the last 5 years.
Last month's issue of Home Audiophile Review carried an interesting article on the possiblities of the new, inflatable enclosures. Essentially, we will be able to get distortion down to unheard of low levels. The possiblities presented by speaker enclosures in novel shapes is also interesting. Imagine a spherical, or for that matter, tetrahedral, enclosure. You can't do that with wood. Another plus: the enclosures could be filled with nitrogen so as to minimize corrosion of the internal speaker components, thus lengthening product-life and improving sound quality.
Hmm. Seems to me, this solves the problem of how to get those heavy speakers set up for bands.
But another intriguing use would be for California and Florida - pool stereo systems. Just get a good protected cable and a splash guard with drain, and float the system in the pool.
Man, that would make one cool video!
--- Will in Seattle - What are you doing to fight the War?
Seriously, I (as a musician with a little experience building cabinets for 18" and smaller drivers), seem to remember that the heavier, the better - at least for Bass Enclosures.
I doubt there is a valid market.
The day has passed since JBL rocked with alnico magnets - you could walk into a music store with a notepad and tape measure, then go back you your garage and cut up some 3/4" or 5/8" particle board, and save big bucks. No patent infringement - I didn't sell 'em - no, really! ;-)
db
Cig:
ôô
This would be a benefit to my brother's track club as instead of having to assemble and store clunky hard shell speakers, we can inflate these speakers and I doubt they'd take very much space.
It would be a benefit to me too as I am usually the one who has to set up such things.
Now all we need are inflatable music-making-devices and we can have a party in a bag!
How about creating a new form of boat parties where you ship out and set up the speakers floating in the water and you can swim around the sound for a totally Debussy-esque experience.
How about one of those bouncy inflatable houses that you see at fairs? We could have the COMPLETELY inflated house! (No golf shoes please)
Pump up the Jam! Pump it Up! Pump it UP!!
Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati
"..rock groups need roadies to hump.."
No. Those are groupies.
Patent Number: WO0154541 (UK)
Publication date: 2001-08-02
Inventor(s): WIENER DAVID
Applicant(s):: SOUNDTUBE ENTERTAINMENT INC (US)
A speaker assembly (100) is provided including a rigid front speaker mounting element (102) defining at least one speaker mounting opening (103), at least one speaker driver (104) coupled to the at least one speaker mounting opening (103) of the speaker mounting element (102), at least one flexible bladder (106) at least partially forming the sides and rear of the enclosure and coupled to the speaker mounting element (102), and a valve (108) coupled to the flexible bladder (106). The flexible bladder (108) has a first wall portion (110) and a second wall portion (112) defining a substantally air-tight interior space (114) therebetween and may take any desired shape when inflated. Together, the speaker mounting element (102) and the bladder (106) form at least one interior chamber (116) at least partially surrounding the speaker driver (104). The valve (108), which provides a substantially air-tight seal when closed, is in fluid communication with the interior space of the flexible bladder (106) and can be used for inflation and deflation of the bladder (106). The bladder (106) is inflatable by providing either pressurized gas or expandable foam within the interior space. Alternatively, the bladder may be formed as a plurality of independently inflatable cells, or may be evacuatably-formed from a material having shape retaining memory properties. After use, the bladder (106) enclosure may be removed from the speaker mounting elemet (102), and deflated for reuse, or disposed of.
Think of all the bands that can't afford to fly their equipment around. Now they could.
I bet there is some really interesting things that could be done with this technology.
For instance, could you change the response of the speakers by adding more air pressure inside of the enclosure? Seems like you could easily tune for each song if you wanted to.
The man who trades freedom for security does not deserve nor will he ever receive either. - Benjamin Franklin
The audio world is crawling with hopeful inventors who don't understand much about sound and electro-accoustics. I've had the privilege of seeing many of these "inventions" first hand. The article failed to address the key issue behind "inflatable speakers": rigidity. In a vented box, which is the most common type of low-frequency and very-low-frequency system, the walls need to be pretty rigid to prevent distortion and energy loss. If these inventors have some way to make a balloon as rigid as 3/4" birch plywood with closely spaced transverse braces, the article doesn't mention it.
The only kinds of speaker enclosure that aren't concerned with rigidity are those that simply enclose rigid horns made of fibreglas, plastic or wood. In these situations, the enclosure merely protects the components from dust, water and damage and does not serve an accoustic funciton. JBL among others has realized this and is making a series of touring speakers which are simply frames of metal tubing with no side walls. Again, inflatable walls would add nothing to such a system.
As for the "beach ball" idea, this can be interpreted in two different ways, due to the lack of detail in the article. If you make a conventional (sealed or vented box) speaker system with spherical form, it will have a sharp resonant peak related to the diameter of the sphere. This peak can be reduced by increasing the absorbent material inside the enclosure, but still reflects a design mistake. A sphere is the worst possible shape for a conventional speaker enclosure. A second application of a sphere is to place it in front of a speaker (possibly a tweeter) creating in effect a radial horn. By careful positioning, two or even three transducers could share one sphere. An inflated beach ball could work for high and even mid frequencies. As the frequency gets lower, however, the need for rigidity of the sphere increases. In general, the sphere should be hard and rigid.
Such a system will never work as well as separate, properly designed horns for the separate transducers. Its only benefit is visual gimmickry and possible cost savings.
In my church, they would be easy to hang from the top of the ceiling. (I can't imagine what it's like lifting a 30lb speaker all the way up there!)
For outdoor concerts, they could be filled with helium, and allowed to float. Wouldn't it be awesome to see the speakers fluttering in the wind!
And, in my living room, I might get 5 small ones to hang from my ceiling fan.
I can't wait!
Free unix account: freeshell.org
Inflatable amps and mixers! Maybe even rack-mount inflatable effects, and instruments too. It would bring on a new wave of "air guitar" players.
Finally! What I want is one those Washington Redskins Blow-up chairs that come with their own inflatable pump with BUILT IN sound!
Now watching games with dad is twice the fun!
Booyah.
-Paul
If you could make speakers and enclosures out of lightweight materials, it would have been done long before now.
They're made out of 3/4th-inch plywood to take the stress of constant packing and unpacking.
I predict the first tour that tries to use these things will end up with what looks like the first all-duct-tape speaker enclosures by the end of the trip.
--Blair
those kids in their souped up hot-air balloon, flying all around the block, with their rap music blaring... You can hear the bass for miles...
There used to be a time when the sound those kids could make was limited to volume/carrying capacity of a honda civic.
They'll never be as comfortable as a lilo
Damn that Alyson Hannigan is sexy...
It doesn't mean much now, it's built for the future.
It looks like from the article that these speakers are designed to be used for touring concerts. If these are high enough quality for that, I should hope they would be high enough quality for a home system.
Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
I don't believe it for a minute.
Distortion down to 'unheard of low levels'? Hype city. There is absolutely no plausible mechanism to support this claim. As for transdcuer shapes, such as tetrahedral, it's almost completely irrelevant as far as sound quality goes.
Loudspeakers don't have a limited lifetime because of corrosion. It's usually fatigue of the constituent materials, of which an inflatable plastic would certainly be about the worst.
These might be a good gimmick, but nothing more. I think their egos need a bit of deflating.
They're apparently using NXT flat panel techniques. No wonder this is so full of mindless hype.
Where exactly are the inflatable speaker wires going to plug into?
My sig of choice is Marlboro
I think it's time to deflate the hype surrounding these things a bit.
They basically use an inflatable structure (not unlike a beachball) as a loudspeaker enclosure, and attach a flat-panel loudspeaker to the front. Voila.
Performance of these will be questionable, at best, and they will certainly not have the performance they're claiming. Utter nonsense. They've provided absolutely nothing to support their claims.
Loudspeaker enclosured are designed to be rigid for a reason - they're essentially used as baffles and resonant structures, that, when properly designed, will provide a reliable, efficient, output of sound. An inflatable loudspeaker will not have any rigidity, thereby eliminating its use as a baffle, and severely diminishing low frequency performance. Second, the fact that the air will be expected to leak over time will change the resonant structure significantly, eliminating any possibility of consistent performance, if it even could be attained in the first place.
Now, an inflatable loudspeaker might be a nice gimmick, but it will absolutely not be a performance product. Not even close.
This is all hype, folks, nothing to see here - move along.
Oh, they're apparently VC funded? Go figure with the outlandish claims!
looks like my blow up doll can now react to what i give it!
my blog
this'll be great for lan parties, some camping bitch annoys you, just pop his speakers.
Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
hear a needle falling ...
another dimension to blowing-the-speakers-out!
*boom*
--- I am known for the ones who want to find me on the net. Is that a privacy risk or a privilege? One might wonder..
I think it has more to do with buyer perception than gee-whiz technology, although it could have some application for bands on the road or PA events.
OS/2 - because choice is a terrible thing to waste.
Just because they are LOUDspeakers doesn't mean they have to be QUALITY speakers. They just have to be LOUD.
I am !amused.
PR stuff on the retail version:Inflatable sound system blows the opposition away
Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball.
I thought the point of loudspeakers was to blow out MUSIC...or did this mean that "inflatable loudspeakers could blow out [of] roadies" (yuck!)? I guess the latter would solve the question of how to inflate the speakers.
Their multiple-bladder design reminds me of the Titanic - see how well THAT concept held water/air/whatever...
www.clarke.ca
What will raveGrrrls stand on top of to dance? What will dweebBoyz jump from to crowd surf? My whole '90s world -- gone!
At least I'll always have my tribal tattoo.
In a multi bladder system, this seems like it would give good absorption of energy, and add structure and weight to the system, which would be useful in an outdoor/windy/explosion prone environment. The article doesn't mention that as part of their plan, but I wonder if it would be of any sonic benefit.
Often in Error, Never in Doubt.
This would complement car audio nicely! No need to fill up your entire trunk with a sub box, just inflate when you need it and it will pack away nicely when you don't.
Anyways, don't discount the inflatable speakers as things that wouldn't work... these guitars worked really well. I saw them first in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts...
If I attach one to my bladder, what will happen?
Seriously though, the real question is, how ungodly much are they going to charge for these? Anyone who can glue rubber together should be able to build them, once someone spends some brainpower and computer time on making them out of readily available materials. (You'll have to do some serious modeling to figure out how the inflatable portion will react with the sound.) But it would be preferable if you could get them cheaply, already made.
Right now, for raves in inconvenient locations, the effort is compounded by the need to truck out large, heavy speakers and find a stable place to put them which is out of the mud, or sand, or what have you. Large band venues which require large speakers also are designed to facilitate such things, with loading docks and so on, so while this could be cool there too, it's not as exciting.
The ellula sounds product line is pretty paltry and not at all exciting. You can pick up altec lansing sets with a nice subwoofer and a couple satellites for $50. Who cares about using this technology for small speakers? They're already lightweight and cheap. I want to see some BIG mofos.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
I wonder how blow up dolls are gonna benefit from this?
What is the deal with all these inflatable items hitting the stores nowadays? I can understand sofas and chairs, where flexibility is better and more apt to be comfortable. But the entire concept of speakers and acoustics relies upon static materials to create smooth, clear vibrations. About the only other reason I can see to make inflatable speakers would be to fill that space with a "lighter-than-air" gas to either lighten or float the load. Besides that, the only other pro is the ability to store in a smaller space...
I told you to use the scratching post!
That's the third set of speakers this week!
LFS. Have you built your system today?
The article mentions Ellula Sounds Ltd. (not to be confused with EULA). A quick google search gives an article with a picture. See also Ellula's corporate page.
--Ben
These speakers would be awesome for a party on the beach...
A couple of beers on the inflatable couch set and music cranking out of the inflatable speakers (running of the car battery I suppose).
They are just made for this sort of a scenario.
I'm sure people wouldn't mind a slight trade off in sound production given there practicality.
:)
The sound waves have to "bounce" off something more substantial than air and thin vinyl. They then have to "escape" out to achieve a balance of the back versus the front of the driver. (see folded horn illustration). In a ported (bass reflex) enclosure there is a tuned hole that attains this balance. Then there is the sealed enclosure (not a great example) that relies on the balance to be a factor of amplifier wattage, speaker capability, and enclosure size to gain the most "bang for the buck".
db
Cig:
ôô
..You never know what this "audiophiles" will get drooling about.. With right marketing of "warm" (with heated air inside the speakers, no less), "airy" sound you can sell him a spare tire for $10000.. ;)
<^>_<(ô ô)>_<^>
Actually - having rigid wall on enclosure - is just inviting parasitic vibration - knock on a solid box - it resonates. Good speakers add dumpening material to fight that, and/or other measures. Soft wall may work just fine - or even better..
Not that I will ever pay for such gizmo. My speakers work rather fine, thank you..
<^>_<(ô ô)>_<^>
Inflatable Guitar. I heard it - sound oK.
<^>_<(ô ô)>_<^>
Rather cool and it works..
<^>_<(ô ô)>_<^>
Because I don't find myself taking enough care of my speakers as is. Now I have to make sure I don't pop them, too.
---------
Sometimes there's no other way to win, except by falling.
-dB
"It if was easy to do, we'd find someone cheaper than you to do it."
I thought that is why we have slashdot?
(heh)
Moose.
for the humor impaired, this place is a loudspeaker/soap box/forum etc, etc.
Have you read the moderator guidelines? Well, have you, PUNK? (and I want a Karma: Gnarly option)
You can argue the math anyway you like, but I have a more or less spherical bass enclosure for home use that rocks hard on a 200watt car amp that cost thirty bucks. People standing right in front of it can't believe all that bass is coming from that funky thing.
It's made of hand formed fiber-cement with walls about an inch thick and exterior dimensions of about three feet wide and two feet high so it's more of a jelly donut than a perfect sphere. It weighs at least a few hundred pounds and distortion is not a problem at volumes acceptable in my building. Also does awesome home theater effects. High$ audio is a suckers game. Weight and strength is what matters for bass-- use reinforced portland. Build them so heavy they can't be moved and so cheap it doesn't matter if they have to be cut up to get out the door. (Great for dorms, prisons and hospitals I'm sure.)
The hard part is initially bringing the hundred pound bags of portland cement into the house without provoking all the second guessing know-it-alls into insisting on talking you out of it.
..I read a story on inflatable speakers in a UK Hi-Fi magazine and of their potential to revolutionise sound reproduction.
However, it did appear in the April issue so maybe somebody should tell these guys...
Think they are gonna make inflatable headphones too?
I can just see it now. "Honey, your stupid cat just popped my stereo again!", "Sorry dear, I'll get the duct tape."
On the other hand, I wonder if they work better than traditional speakers with beer spilled on them.
Disclaimer: MINAA (Mummy! I'm Not An Animal!)
If this is patented, then the patent itself should explain everything.
I worked in speaker design all summer. The boxes are heavy, but the immense weight of the permanent magnets required for driver operation will remain a problem. So as the music plays for a while, the air inside heats up, and your speakers float away like a balllooon? IEEEEEEEE I AM A DORG! RUFF! MEAOW! SQUAK!!
hi, I like pancakes -.-- -.-- --..
"...new technology that allows Inflatable Loud Speakers..."
:-P
I'm sorry, but this technology has been around for many years. It's called a "whoopee cushion."
Give me my freedom, and I'll take care of my own security, thank you.