MIT Used A Laser to Transmit Sound to People's Ears

The sound is a significant part of our culture and life. It is so important that some people can justify buying a pair of headphones that cost thousands of dollars. It explains how scientists of the past had been relentless in their attempts to invent and innovate so that people can speak to one another in vast distances. The fruit of their labour physicalized into our smartphones today.

Now that you more or less finally understand a portion of sound’s significance. You wouldn’t be as surprised when a group of scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has finally taken the sound to a different level. 

They finally succeeded in transmitting audio by using lasers, for the first time in history.

The Two Methods

To finally accomplish the feast, the team brought to the table two different methods.

In the first method, the researchers sweep the laser at the speed of sound, and by varying the length of each 'sweep', they are able to re-create sound at different audible pitches. This method can create sound at about 8.2 feet away and a volume of 60 decibels, about the same loudness as the background noises and conversations in a restaurant. All without anyone aside from the target hearing the sounds.

In the second method, researchers adjust the intensity of the laser to create different pitches. Though the resulting sound is much better, it's quieter than the first.

What This Means For Us

Now that there’s a proof of concept that the system actually works as designed, the possibility is laid thread-bare onto the table of acousticians as possibly ‘The Next Big Thing’ in audio technology. “We hope that this will eventually become a commercial technology.” Said Ryan M. Sullenberger - an opt-mechanical engineer who’s a member of the project.

With a little bit of polishing, I can honestly imagine a world where it is possible to whisper to someone else’s ear from miles away. It’s both a terrifying and amusing thought at the same time.