This Bluetooth speaker beams music directly into your ears only – no headphones required
By beaming sound into your ears only, SoundBeaming offers the freedom of speakers with the privacy and immersion of headphones.
Israeli-based company Noveto announce their new SoundBeaming technology. Using DSP algorithms to push ultrasonic waves via a transducer array, SoundBeaming focuses this audio into pockets just outside of your ears, before emitting audible sound. A 3D sensing module, tracks the position of your ears in real-time. As your head moves, so do the pockets of audio. This gives the sound a spatial 3D effect without surround sound speakers or stereo headphones. According to Noveto, “the sound feel as if it comes from almost within oneself”.
This could be great for many applications, such as video conferencing without disturbing others in the office, movies or gaming without waking up neighbours, in-car directions without interrupting the music for passengers/blocking out traffic noise, or treadmill on-screen audio without sharing sweaty headphones.
Noveto are hoping to introduce the tech in two forms, SoundBeamer 1.0 – the companies Bluetooth speaker and by working with third-parties to embed SoundBeaming into their products. SoundBeamer 1.0 is planned for release in December 2021. Noveto say SoundBeamer 1.0 “is designed primarily for video conferencing but can also be used for SoundBeaming anything from podcasts to meditation and more.” This suggest the speaker could be somewhat limited in terms of audio quality.
- 3D sensing module for locating ear position and built-in mic
- Proprietary Noveto DSP and chipsets
- Custom-designed dual transducer array
- Noveto Connect utility software
You don’t believe it because it sounds like a speaker, but no one else can hear it…it’s supporting you and you’re in the middle of everything. It’s happening around you.
Ayana Wallwater, Product Manager, Noveto to the Associated Press
You don’t need to tell the device where you are. It’s not streaming to one exact place. It follows you wherever you go. So it’s personally for you — follows you, plays what you want inside your head.
This is what we dream of. A world where we get the sound you want. You don’t need to disturb others and others don’t get disturbed by your sound. But you can still interact with them.
We’ll have to wait until this technology is in the hands of consumers to see if its claims are true, with potential concerns around positioning of the speaker and listener, sound outside the optimal position, sound quality, etc.