Soundbugs and flat panel speakers

A new device from little-known company Olympia, previewed at this year’s CeBIT show in Germany, has set many tech lovers abuzz. Called Soundbug, the mouse-sized device is capable of turning any flat surface – desks, windows, literally anything –

A new device from little-known company Olympia, previewed at this year's CeBIT show in Germany, has set many tech lovers abuzz. Called Soundbug, the mouse-sized device is capable of turning any flat surface – desks, windows, literally anything – into a speaker.

According to this article, Soundbug works by encasing a piece of Terfenol within aluminium, then wrapping a coil around the package. When electricity is passed through the coil, the Terfonal expands – creating somewhere in the vicinity of '400 pounds of force'. This force is then passed through to the flat surface to which Soundbug is attached, causing the surface to vibrate and replicate the original sound source.

Several versions of the Soundbug will be made available, including a mobile phone version capable of turning your car window into a speaker (no more annoying headset) and a voice conference version. Unfortunately, Olympia are yet to announce plans for selling the Soundbug in countries other than the UK.