MIT Researchers develop 'Paper thin Speakers' that weigh as much as a coin

In a fascinating development, a group of researchers at MIT’s Organic and Nanostructured Electronics Lab have developed a paper-like framework of speakers, which might even be capable of drawing in Active Noise Cancellation. Here’s what we know so far.

The paper-thin speakers are built in the form of a sheet and weigh as light as a coin. (MIT News)

According to Tech Story, the weak film speaker can connect with a surface to change it into a functioning sound source. The new paper-like speakers offer very little sound bending while consuming a lot less power than customary enhancers.

MIT researchers moved away from traditional customary enhancers and instead, used a formed piezoelectric material that moves when voltage is applied to it. To create sound, it moves the air above it. During the development, many difficulties arose, such as the inability to mount it onto a surface. To overcome this problem, the designers at MIT “reexamined” their plan and created little vaults on the piezoelectric material which can vibrate individually. Spacer layers were put on both sides and in between to make the paper-like speakers durable and safe from scratches.

According to Tech Story, this paper-thin speaker has numerous potential uses. It can be used in cockpits to produce inverse recurrent sounds, similar to how Active Noise Cancellation works. It can also be used in theatres and in amusement park rides to create 3D spatial audio. As its power consumption is very low, it can be utilized in devices with limited battery capacity. As promising as it sounds, there is no guarantee when the paper-thin speakers will be developed for use on a mass scale, so we can only wait for the traditional customary enhancers to be replaced with new paper-thin speakers.