Technology Review has an article on the claims of two inventors who are staking claim to a new technology which allows for directional emissions of sound waves.
Known as directional sound, it uses an ultrasound emitter to shoot a laserlike beam of audible sound so focused that only people inside a narrow path can hear it.
Norris and Pompei both envision a family of four sitting in a car enjoying four different musical selections or radio broadcasts at once?with no headphones. They also see street-level billboards or displays in retail locations that speak only to one passing consumer at a time, or a crowded trade show in which the cacophony of thousands of product demonstrations is replaced by thousands of focused beams of sound confined to their own exhibits. Rather than using a megaphone, a police officer could control crowds by directing his or her voice only at a person creating a disturbance.
If someone could extend this into a directional noise-blocker as well, I should be able to get a few more hours sleep everyday ;) The full article can be read here.
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