Bluetooth speaker made from 50,000-year-old wood

The Petite Square is both petite and square.

(Credit: Petite Square)

Bluetooth speakers are everywhere, so it's hard to come up with a way to distinguish a new design. An Indiegogo project called Petite Square is looking to stand out by building its enclosures out of ancient history. The speakers are crafted from 50,000-year-old wood excavated from bogs in New Zealand.

Ancient Kauri has been called the the oldest workable wood in the world. It's certainly easier to work with than petrified wood. The giant logs have to be raised out of prehistoric bogs, adding to the expense and rarity of the material. Still, there seems to be plenty available on the market for craftspeople to make musical instruments, carvings, and the Petite Square speakers.

Each speaker is a little over 2 inches square. You can pair them up to get stereo sound. The rechargeable battery provides 15 hours of Bluetooth use. Currently, the speakers are in the working prototype phase with the Indiegogo project raising funds to put them into production. The standard pledge price is $99 per speaker.

There are plenty of cheaper Bluetooth speakers, but the lure of this one is the opportunity to hold it up and tell your friends how old the wood is. It's the same sort of appeal as an iPad decorated with T. rex bones. It's history melded with modern technology.