Scientists create flat speakers

PNI, a Korean research firm, announced yesterday that it has developed a technology for mass production of flat speakers that are as flexible as a piece of fabric. “This product will cause revolutionary changes in how speakers will look in the future,” said Koh Seok-geun, president of PNI. “It took four years of studies after we initially developed the technology to make it available for mass production.” These speakers are thin transparent sheets that move like cloth. They can be hung on walls, draped over an object or hung in a frame. One only needs to cut out a piece of the “cloth” and connect it to an amplifier with a wire. The speakers are made with a type of plastic that is studded with electrodes. Until now, scientists had been unable to figure out a way to secure electrodes onto the vinyl, but scientists here said they used plasma on the electrodes to get it to adhere to the plastic. The speakers, however, can only support sounds in the upper end of the register. For instance, in a 5.1-channel home theater, four speakers are for treble and one is for bass. This fabric-like speaker, however, cannot support bass sounds. by Park Bang-ju