News - Listen through soundproof glass by watching a crisp-bag vibrate

[HEXUS]

Boffins from MIT, Microsoft, and Adobe collaborated on the snooping tech project.

Read more.

[Liam-McShane]

So...what's the point of this?

[Roobubba]

What's the point of this?! You realise people said the exact same thing about pretty much every major invention at its first publication? Pppf this electricity malarky, what's the point of that?

The ramifications of this technology could be very far reaching. From the obvious security applications (and consequent privacy implications), to probably hundreds of other far more obscure applications which may not now be obvious, but with further development will be logical next steps. This type of analysis could have applications in photography, film, materials science, for example.

I think it's pretty cool.

[Brian224]

So...what's the point of this?

Vibration analysis of machinery perhaps? It might be possible to use the same techniques to work out which panels of a car resonate and help soundproof it, or even to reduce metal fatigue.

[Agent]

So...what's the point of this?

The best applications are the ones we don't even know exist yet.

[Corky34]

So we can expect this to be added to the Kinect v3

[edzieba]

Normally you'd bounce a laser off the window and pick up the audio signal from the phase shift, but I suppose you can do the same by bouncing it off of objects in the room.

[moeburn]

Hasn't this been around for decades? This is called a laser mic. I built one once for fun. You point it at the window of the room you want to listen in to, and the window's vibrations vibrate the laser beam. You amplify that vibration with some mirrors, and then you convert that signal into an audio signal, and you hear what they are saying (or doing).

[LeetyMcLeet]

Very interesting.

No doubt we'll see this in Bonds next watch Seriously though, will be interesting underwater or even space to see what sounds can be reconstructed.

[semo]

Very interesting.

No doubt we'll see this in Bonds next watch Seriously though, will be interesting underwater or even space to see what sounds can be reconstructed.

I'm pretty sure space doesn't work like that

[Tabbykatze]

Semo, from one space shuttle to another, if you just vibrate a plate with the other shuttle watching it, you can have near instantaneous transmission of sound without using high powered radio systems that could draw potentially a lot of energy or be interfered due to cosmic/solar radiation. Actually, apart from the fact it needs direct line of sight, this could be extemely viable, imagine communication between planetary bodies just through vibrating panels. Works in my head, ha ha

[Brian224]

Hasn't this been around for decades? This is called a laser mic.

A laser mic requires a (detectable) laser to be pointed at the target whilst this system is entirely passive.

[alpha channel]

Real science catching up with sci-fi science, this was in Eagle Eye, a not half bad film all said and told.

There's a scene towards the end of the film where the main characters are discussing the supercomputer of the film (that's basically gone nuts in the name of state security) and they're in a sound sealed room. Said supercomputer listens in on the conversation from watching the vibrations on a mug of coffee that one of the characters has placed on the table.

[terriblebugger]

The spies can now hear what you're saying without having a mic nearby.

[tygrus]

Point a non-human-visible laser from outside through the glass and at a vibrating surface in the room. Measure the light returned and calculate the sound using the changing distance or doppler effect. Tricky getting a flat surface but still better than the <3KHz from high-speed video.

[peterb]

Semo, from one space shuttle to another, if you just vibrate a plate with the other shuttle watching it, you can have near instantaneous transmission of sound without using high powered radio systems that could draw potentially a lot of energy or be interfered due to cosmic/solar radiation. Actually, apart from the fact it needs direct line of sight, this could be extemely viable, imagine communication between planetary bodies just through vibrating panels. Works in my head, ha ha

No advantage - radio waves travel at the same speed as light (they are the same thing - electromagnetic radiation) so the speeds involved are the same - and you don't need particularly high power radios in space - the attenuation of radio waves 9depending on frequency) is much less than in the atmosphere.