Remarkable Paper Thin Speakers That Can Play Music on a Variety of Surfaces

Researchers at MIT have developed a paper-thin loudspeaker that can turn a variety of surfaces into an audio source. According to the report, the speaker is made of an active piezoelectric layer with individual domes that can generate high bandwidth, tuneable sound with minimal distortion.

This thin-film loudspeaker produces sound with minimal distortion while using a fraction of the energy required by a traditional loudspeaker. The hand-sized loudspeaker the team demonstrated, which weighs about as much as a dime, can generate high-quality sound no matter what surface the film is bonded to.

This type of discovery can easily bring music to small spaces or provide an immersive experience with little bulk.

To achieve these properties, the researchers pioneered a deceptively simple fabrication technique, which requires only three basic steps and can be scaled up to produce ultrathin loudspeakers large enough to cover the inside of an automobile or to wallpaper a room. ...The flexible device could also be used for immersive entertainment, perhaps by providing three-dimensional audio in a theater or theme park ride.