“Babble, from Sonare, is the industry’s first sound management system designed to provide patented voice privacy without walls™. Babble is the only voice privacy device currently on the market that offers true confidentiality for any office, open workspace or cubicle.”SonareTechnologies
Video Example
Applied Minds- Firm that worked on it.

Sounds been a hot topic in the past few years. Pictured right are “Glas Platz”, glass speakers, an elegant solution to those large ugly looking speakers. This technology also works by using the SoundBug, which is a device you slap onto to any hard surface, and whala, that surface projects sounds. Below are a few more sound based inventions I’ve come across. Enjoy!

SoundBug -surface speaker device
Feonic Tech products- a bunch of sound concepts
Glas Platz -glass speakers
HyperSonicSound(HSS) -directed sound
AudioSpotlight -directed sound
Herman Miller Babble -White noise for your cubicle

Litracon made the blogsphere last year, but it’s making second rounds. Litracon is concrete reinforced with fiber optic strands, hence creating a semi-translucent material with some magical results. As for a new material, great, but what are the new and valuable applications? I haven’t seen any great application yet, but I’m sure there are some in the works. Anyhow, check out their site, think up some great applications, and post them here.

Litracon

How cool is this! Perhaps it’s my geek side, but I want!via boinboing
billboardom (image)

I have no idea what this is, but it grabs my curiosity! Each of those bubbles have number displays in them… hmmm.

via mocoloco
Japan Design Net (images)

“Audiopad is a composition and performance instrument for electronic music which tracks the positions of objects on a tabletop surface and converts their motion into music. One can pull sounds from a giant set of samples, juxtapose archived recordings against warm synthetic melodies, cut between drum loops to create new beats, and apply digital processing all at the same time on the same table. Audiopad not only allows for spontaneous reinterpretation of musical compositions, but also creates a visual and tactile dialogue between itself, the performer, and the audience.”James Patton AudioPad
Video

Car Loft introduces a unique option in parking your car in high-rise buildings. Parking your car in front of your door has it’s obvious benefits, but living in a high-rise generally requires a basement trek. Car Loft lifts your car up to your floor and lets your park right there.

I dont live in a high-rise building, but if I did, this would be awesome!

Car Loft

“Sustainable design, which balances environmental, social, economic and aesthetic concerns, has the potential to transform everyday life and is already reshaping the fields of architecture and product design. Beyond Green explores how this design philosophy resonates with an emerging generation of international artists who combine a fresh aesthetic sensibility with a constructively critical approach to the production, dissemination and display of art.”

via inhabitat>
Museum of Arts and Design

Talk about sustainability in design. These cute bears are made out of, well, Tofu!

“SOYSILK® is a fabulous, cutting edge fiber made from soy. - it’s earth-friendly and from renewable resources. No petroleum products are used. “

Tofu Bear
SoySilk (the creators of silk, bamboo, tofu, and other such innovative fabrics)

“dVitral, [is] an interactive high dimensions digital vitral….developed for the IVAM facade, this non-approved installation allows to convert the actual glass facade of the museum in a dynamic interactive, low-resolution screen.based in an array of SmartGlass pieces, a high tech glass cappable of turn opaque with an electric impulse.”

via poeticsoft
running screen (details)