Hello everbyody! Although the weather has recently turned a bit cold in Nagoya, we hope you are enjoying cherry blossom season. Everything is almost in full bloom so please take time to enjoy the beautiful scenery before the cherry blossoms disapper.
Today, we would like to disucss a technological innovation that will drastically change our lives in the years to come.
The way we listen to music and sounds has changed a lot over time. Today, we have high-tech, noise-canceling earbuds that let us hear music clearly. In the future, we might not even need headphones at all! Scientists are testing a new technology that can send sound directly to one person without others around them hearing it. This means we could have private conversations in public without anyone listening in.
A team of researchers at Penn State University in the USA created this technology, called “audio enclaves.” It works by using special sound waves that people can’t hear while they travel through the air. These waves can also bend around objects to reach the right person.
Lead researcher Jiaxin Zhong explained that this is like creating a “virtual headset.” Only the person inside the audio enclave can hear the sound. This could be useful in many ways. Museums could give visitors audio guides without headphones. People in the same car could listen to different music without bothering each other. Businesses could use this to keep conversations private. Stores could even send special ads to customers as they walk by. This technology could also help make workplaces quieter by reducing noise.
What do you think about this? Please feel free to talk to your teachers at BRIDGE about audio enclaves and other types of state-of-the-art technology in your classes.
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