Directional (Hypersonic) Speakers- Where are They Now?

[TheWalkman]

I was noodling on another ASR thread which ultimately took me to a 2004 TED Talk by a guy named Woody Norris who claimed to have invented the Hypersonic Speaker.

I seem to recall a lot of buzz - perhaps fifteen years ago - about how these speakers would soon be ubiquitous in retail spaces, museums, parks, etc.

From what I can tell this never really materialized.

A quick google search shows one company, Focusonics, is currently making an effort to market them but few other companies seem to be pursuing this Market. https://www.focusonics.com/

Was the technology flawed or thr marketing efforts poorly executed?

Do any ASR members have any experience with this technology?

 

[Curvature]

It's a marketing name for beamforming.

Very common now in specific applications. Some soundbars use it to simulate multichannel. Some conference room setups use it both for microphones and speakers. Also used in sonic weapons.

An ultrasonic carrier is used to tightly focus audible bandwidth directivity. Problems are limited overall SPL and high distortion in bass.

Too expensive, limited use and setup-intensive to be common.