The evolution of acoustic systems is remarkable. The advent of noise-canceling earphones, bone conduction earphones, and soundbars has provided us with completely new musical experiences. One might think there's no further technological advancement left. Such thoughts may even cross your mind.
But rest assured, there's a new type of speaker that will dispel those doubts. That is the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) where Manabu Yoshida is researching the "Fabric Speaker." As the name suggests, it emits sound from fabric, making a world that seemed like science fiction a reality.
This time, we asked Manabu Yoshida about the outline of the "Fabric Speaker" research project.
PROFILE
Manabu Yoshida
1999/4-2001/3 – Special Research Fellow at Japan Science and Technology Agency's Core Research for Evolutionary Science and Technology (CREST)
2001/4-2009/9 – Researcher with a fixed-term contract at the Optical Technology Research Division of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)
2009/9-2012/6 – Senior Researcher at the Flexible Electronics Research Center of AIST
2012/7-2013/6 – Senior Researcher at the Electronics, Materials, and Nanotechnology Department of the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO)
2013/7-Present – Current position
2017/10-Present – Concurrently serving as a cooperating professor at Saitama University Graduate School
From Sensing Research to Pursuit of a New Speaker
What kind of research institution is AIST?
AIST is one of only three specific National Research and Development Agencies in Japan. It has its headquarters in Tokyo and Tsukuba, and 12 research bases nationwide. A notable feature is its emphasis on joint research with industry, collaboration with private enterprises, universities, and public institutions.There are seven major research fields, and about 2,200 researchers are affiliated with AIST. I belong to the "Electronics and Manufacturing" domain at the Sensing System Research Center.
It might come as a surprise, but AIST is also an institution that actively promotes technology transfer ventures. Recently, AIST started a company called AIST Solutions to promote social implementation.
What was the background for starting the research on "Fabric Speaker"?
On a societal level, the demand for measuring biometric information in daily life, like with smartwatches, was increasing.Consider situations where sensing is necessary. For instance, sensing might reveal that someone is in a dangerous state due to heatstroke or illness. The next requirement is to inform those around them of the situation. While it’s useful to notify a smartphone, simply emitting sound is an easier way to alert more people.
What's important here is that no new device is needed to go from sensing to notification. In other words, having sound come from clothes that you usually wear is the most rational and desirable method.
At that time, I was researching sensors made of film. Film is highly flexible but has low stretchability. While the human body is curved, applying film to clothing results in poor breathability and lack of stretch, affecting the fit. Therefore, I began researching electric wiring and electrodes using highly stretchable fabrics made of silver-plated short fibers.
How is the "Fabric Speaker" constructed?
The structure itself is quite simple. By sandwiching a thin, flexible film and silver-coated short fiber electrodes between fabrics, a static speaker is realized. Because it's fabric, it can be used as part of products like clothing or bedding. Additionally, it has the feature of not altering the sound even when stretched.The shape is already significantly different from typical speakers, and it also stands apart in terms of durability. For example, even if you hit this speaker with a hammer, it won't break, and the sound won't be interrupted.
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