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Pinholes and Plastic Wrap Make Solid Walls "Transparent" To Sound

Posted by timothy on from the need-a-better-cone-of-silence dept.

First time accepted submitter benonemusic writes "Researchers have devised a means of making sound transmit easily through rigid surfaces, including walls. The process relies on creating small holes on a wall, and covering them on one side with a thin covering made from plastic wrap."

10 of 127 comments (clear)

  1. Why would you do this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I thought we were trying to figure out how to keep sound from coming through the wall, not help it!

    1. Re:Why would you do this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      How nasty could it be? That baby was all up in that not too long ago.

  2. Thank god the research is finally paying off by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Fantastic, now we have walls that sound like they aren't even there. What's next, ovens that are just as hot on the outside as they are on the inside?

  3. As an apartment dweller by sl4shd0rk · · Score: 5, Funny

    It would be nice to use plastic wrap to make walls impenetrable by sounds of penetration.

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    1. Re:As an apartment dweller by judoguy · · Score: 5, Informative

      There is vinyl sheeting for just this purpose.

      Mass Loaded Vinyl is a sheet of heavy vinyl that is loosely hung to absorb sound. Usually hung in the wall between the drywall layers for appearance sake, would still work just fine tacked on the outside of the wall separating you from your noisy neighbors.

      Of course, sound will travel through the ceiling and floor as well.

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    2. Re:As an apartment dweller by master5o1 · · Score: 5, Funny

      If she doesn't make a sound, you're not doing it right.

      FTFY.

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  4. New NSA-Approved Building Code by justthinkit · · Score: 5, Funny

    New NSA-Approved Building Code

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    1. Re:New NSA-Approved Building Code by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      I believe this building technique has already been used on my apartment building...

  5. Finally by ArcadeMan · · Score: 5, Funny

    Spying gear for Bond. Amish Bond.

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  6. And the downsides not mentioned. by queazocotal · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The 'walls' were thin sheets of metal - yes - this is an interesting breakthrough, but will not help much for thick walls.
    The effect is strongly frequency dependant, and relies on tuned membranes.
    It will not work for signals such as voice.

    Or at least - it will not work as well as it would for tuned signals.
    It is unclear if you can get a useful effect with a large number (say 50) of tuned membranes covering the voice band.
    You can perhaps also do interesting novel things with tuning, if this is possible.
    You can have a 'transparent' wall - that mutes certain tones - for example if you want to notch out a train whistle that goes past every day.

    Audio prisms are another application that springs to mind.