Finally, we can talk smack—WITHOUT it coming back!
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Imagine talking to someone across a crowded room—without anyone else hearing!
Jia-Xin Zhong and team from Penn State have discovered a way to create “audible enclaves.”
They bent sound waves by coupling them with ultrasonic beams, creating tiny zones of trapped sound. These beams are programmed to bend on their own, isolating conversations into private sound pockets.
But that’s not all! Noise from outside the “audible enclave” was significantly reduced!
Near silence only a few inches away from where the audio was loud and clear!
This could revolutionize personalized audio spaces, noise-free public transportation, or even stealthy military communication.
Or we could just… pass notes, just like in school.
Reference: J. Zhong, J. Ji, X. Xia, H. Heo, & Y. Jing, Audible enclaves crafted by nonlinear self-bending ultrasonic beams, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 122 (12) e2408975122, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2408975122 (2025).