TVs have gotten so thin lately that they’re barely visible from the side, and now one manufacturer has created loudspeakers that have jumped onto this skinny bandwagon and taken their seats after checking in at less than a quarter of a millimeter thick. Engineers from Warwick Audio Technologies, a spin-out company from the University of Warwick (England), created these slim FFL speakers using a thin laminate made of layers of conducting and insulating material.
FFL stands for “Flat Flexible Loudspeaker.” When electricity is passed through the flexible laminate, the layers resonate and produce sound. The sound wave that’s created has very high directivity and very accurate sound imaging, and it is said to project further than sound from conventional speakers.
This makes these FFL speakers perfect for public spaces, but they also have applications for consumer use. Warwick engineers say the speakers could be concealed inside ceiling tiles, applied to walls, or used as car speakers. At this point, Warwick is in negotiations with several commercial partners and expects to introduce its first commercial product later this year.
You’ve probably heard the phrase, “If these walls could talk….” Well, pretty soon your walls might be talking, singing, and blasting full concerts at you from their flat, inconspicuous confines. —by Graham W.
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