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Beamed Sonic Advertising Is Coming

Posted by kdawson on from the told-you-i-was-hearing-voices dept.

newtley writes in with a story from Ad Age a few days back. "Advertisers are determined to get into your head by one means or another, and Holosonic Research Labs has found yet another way of invading your privacy in the name of forcing you pay attention. You're walking down a street in New York when all of a sudden, a woman's voice whispers 'Who's that? Who's There?' No, you weren't having a psychotic episode; you were being subjected without your permission to 'sound in a narrow beam, just like light.' It was coming at you from a rooftop speaker seven stories up."

7 of 396 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Not invading your privacy... by Pranadevil2k · · Score: 3, Informative

    In this case, I'd be getting shot at by what is essentially a hi-tech megaphone from an unknown location by people I most likely can't see and don't know. Honestly I think this might go beyond the scope of privacy invasion and be considered a weapon. Hearing things out of nowhere is not only confusing, but disturbing; just walking along and suddenly I'm hearing an advertisement... I don't have braces, I shouldn't have to put up with that.

  2. Re:Only one reasonable approach... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    Actually, they've had their speaker stolen and had to replace it and increase the security.

    This is a particularly invasive and obnoxious form of advertising - they *force* you to hear their message. Your response is entirely reasonable.

  3. It works and it's freaky by Stochastism · · Score: 5, Informative

    I was involved in a university experiment with this technology. It's very difficult to make it work well, so, all privacy annoyances aside, I'm deeply impressed on a technical level.

    It's really freaky when someone waves these ultrasonic speakers around and the sound washes over you like a spotlight. But in our experiments the sound was really tinny, just like a paranoid voice in your head ;)

    1. Re:It works and it's freaky by Stochastism · · Score: 2, Informative

      It would be tough to do this for personal audio, like computer speakers. Firstly, the speakers are very specialised and far from cheap. Secondly, I seem to remember there had to be a minimum distance between you and the speakers for it to be effective. Lastly, I also seem to remember that the whole room was filled with a faint but rather annoying high-pitched humming noise, even though only the target could hear the audio. You wouldn't notice that in a noisy environment though. And yeah, the bass performance sucks :)

      Anyway, that was a dodgy lab setup. I'm hope the commercial units are more effective.

  4. Re:Pandora's box by baboo_jackal · · Score: 2, Informative

    The first use they think of is advertising.
    No. From TFA:

    The technology, ideal for museums and libraries or environments that require a quiet atmosphere for isolated audio slideshows, has rarely been used on such a scale before.
    And if you go to the Holosonics website, you would have seen that the first uses for it were in libraries and museums, with the intent of allowing people to hear audio without disturbing other patrons. The first use "they" thought of was to maximize the enjoyment of multiple people visiting typically quiet places.

    Cut to the chase and skip "what can we use this for" and go straight to "how can we make money with this".
    Um. OK, what imaginary entity that creates new technology applications works like that? Seriously, other than a 100% Government-funded research lab, *everybody* who makes something new has to think "how can we make money with this?" or they stop being able to afford... well, the ability to make cool new stuff!

    I think you're angry about the use of this for advertising, and I agree, it would be annoying if used on a large scale - like, for example, if *everything* you walked by on the street tried to whisper stuff in your ear. On a funny note, if you read the comments from the original article, it appears as though several commentators believe that this technology actually (somehow?) beams energy directly into your brain which causes you to "hear" stuff.
  5. Re:Only one reasonable approach... by xaxa · · Score: 2, Informative

    Wait until you have to wait 25 minutes (having just missed the previous bus) at 4am in light rain, under a bus shelter with an electronic advertisement that sings "118 118! 118 118! 118 118! 118 118!" constantly (it's a phone number). I can ignore a static image, I can ignore the adverts that rotate between 3 different posters, and I can ignore the LCD screens. But obnoxious singing at 4am? Yuk.

    (It was in London if anyone cares.)

  6. Re:Pandora's box by x_MeRLiN_x · · Score: 2, Informative

    That's not quite right. AudioSpotlight has been shipping similar products since 2000. Indeed, I saw them featured on Tomorrow's World in that same year.

    http://web.archive.org/web/20000302223042/www.bbc.co.uk/tw/stories/technology/0001audiospotlight.shtml

    The relevant part of the episode is still hosted by Holosonic.

    http://www.holosonics.com/media/BBC_TW_AudioSpotlight_1Mbps.mpg

    Their website also lists alternative applications..

    http://www.holosonics.com/customers.html