Comments on: I hear voices: Could highly directional sound advertising be the next big thing?

New technologies deliver highly focused sound.

[R.Jefferson]

Absolutely, just like terrestrial radio, TV, and now the internets, the mind is no longer grey matter used for what it was intended, but an organ that should be exploited for commercialization.

Honestly, who thinks anymore, the government and corporations know best, and they aren?t receptive to us any way so let?s go with the flow!

The owners of America didn?t get to where they are by not commercializing everything in their wake under the guise of our favorite buzz word ?innovation.?

[newyorkresident]

I went by this ad when someone posted about it on Gawker, hypothesizing some sort of bone vibration device was in use. Nope. This was good old fashioned sound waves. Block your ears and you heard nothing. It was very tightly focused, yes, but travelled to your hearing centers via the same route as everything else.

Not sure why the whole bone conduction myth is growing such legs, but seriously it was just a speaker.

[sadchild]

You were great in Cocoon, Three Men and a Baby, Police Academy and Short Circuit.

[F_J_Pompei]

There is a lot of misinformation and misunderstanding about this technology, and I'm disappointed that the sources were not checked more carefully.

As the other readers have pointed out, the Audio Spotlight technology does *not* work by beaming sound directly into people's skulls, nor does it work via bone conduction. I have no idea where this misinformation originated, but it's entirely incorrect.

The sound people hear is heard via exactly the same mechanism as any other sound, and the sound can of course be easily blocked by putting your fingers in your ears, wearing an ipod, or any other way one stops sound. Calling it an "onslaught" and claiming it cannot be blocked is pure sensationalism.

The novelty of this device is the physics of sound generation. Rather than creating sound with a speaker diaphragm, it uses a beam of ultrasound as a "virtual source", which changes into audible sound as it travels through the air.

This is clearly described on our website:

http://holosonics.com/technology.html

I would appreciate a correction.

Thank you,

Dr. F. Joseph Pompei

Founder, Holosonics
Inventor, Audio Spotlight technology

[MadLyb]

Fry: So you're telling me they broadcast commercials into people's dreams?

Leela: Of course.

...

Leela: Didn't you have ads in the 20th century?

Fry: Well, sure, but not in our dreams. Only on TV and radio. And in magazines and movies and at ball games and on buses and milk cartons and T-shirts and written in the sky. But not in dreams. No, sir-ee!

[Dalkorian]

I don't know if this worked or not, but I promise the whole world one thing. Make it work and I'll do everything I can to destroy it with as much violence and hatred as possible!!!

My head is my own, stay the F out of it!!!!!!!!!

[acardes]

Wow ... all I can say ... wow.

[DenonLoveStruck]

The Hypersonic Sound can in fact still be heard when plugging ones ears. It is describes as, quote unquote, "the sound is in their heads" and can mimick hearing voices or Schizophrinea (if one is not aware of its presence or used in a harrassment situation)

These hypersonic noise guns (some of them) can go way below the hearing range, up to 10Hertz, which cannot be heard by human ears. So these speakers are a dangerous tool in the hands of criminals, and should be pointed out...ONE SHOULD NOT USE THESE TO HARRASS PEOPLE WITH...Imagine walking down the street and someone starts to call you names and useing profanity, but dont know where it is coming from.

The noise cannot be heard unless in this so called "beam of sound", so when you ask others, "do you hear that", say your crazy and hearing things, and your deemed as crazy and laughed at.

I think this technology is a great invention and great, however, someones civili liberties can be easily taken away.