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Material Turns All Surfaces into Stereo

Posted by samzenpus on from the listen-to-anything dept.

An anonymous reader writes "According to James Bullen of NXT, 'The UK ministry of defense was experimenting with a way to dampen the sound in helicopters and developed a honeycombed material that did the opposite — conducted sound.' Cambridge-based NXT christened it "SurfaceSound" and arranged for it to be crafted into Toyota cars, Gateway computers, Hallmark greeting cards and more. NXT is working on ways to put the technology to use in touch screens that promise to be part of a new rage in 'natural interfaces' for computers, mobile telephones, televisions and other electronic devices. Toyota has SurfaceSound in the head liners of four of its car models. NXT recently made a deal with greeting card giant Hallmark to use the technology in 'big cards with big sound' when opened, Bullen said."

6 of 142 comments (clear)

  1. Surfaces... into Stereo? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    That's great, I've always hated mono surfaces. So flat and everything.

    With any luck, in a few years we will be able to turn six surfaces into 5.1!

  2. Demolition by therpham · · Score: 5, Funny

    Great, now we can finally conveniently announce the demolition of the Earth when the time comes!

  3. Man I hope this doesn't work with fabric by edwardpickman · · Score: 5, Funny

    Just imagine a Hawaiian shirt that not only looks loud but is loud.

  4. In other news... by scatters · · Score: 5, Funny

    The British Army now has ideal way to deliver the World's Funniest Joke to the battlefield. They are reportedly looking for a large number of English to Persian translators willing to work in isolated conditions.

    --
    A One that isn't cold, is scarcely a One at all.
  5. Unexpected source? by QuantumFlux · · Score: 5, Funny

    Ministry of Defence? I would have thought it would be developed by the Ministry of Sound...

  6. Hallmark cards? by Chas · · Score: 5, Funny

    I can see this at Christmas.

    *Little Jimmy* Here you go grandma!

    *Grandma* Why thank you Jimmy you're such a

    {100 decibels} WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS!...

    *Grandma* Augh!

    [THUD]

    *Little Jimmy* Grandma? Grandma? Why'd you go to sleep?

    --


    Chas - The one, the only.
    THANK GOD!!!