What if headphones didn't have to touch your head? No earbuds falling out of your ears, no pressure on your skull. A beam of sound only you can hear, coming from tiny speakers mounted on a neckband, or perhaps an article of clothing.
That's what a few developers inside Samsung wanted to build -- and they've just gotten permission to spin out their laserlike S-Ray audio technology as a fully fledged startup with Samsung's funding and support.
We tried a prototype miniatured speaker at CES 2018, and thought it was pretty incredible, even if the core technology (ultrasonic modulation) isn't exactly new.
S-Ray. Beam sound directly to your ears. Tech like this could replace your headphones someday. #CES2018 pic.twitter.com/RxXBvfLJY9
— Sean Hollister (@StarFire2258) January 12, 2018
Take a look for yourself in our little video above. We'll be watching for the new startup (dubbed Catch Flow) to bring the tech to market.
Other products now spinning out of Samsung's C-Lab incubator this time around: AppBee, "a research platform that connects clients and users based on mobile usage patterns," and Plantbox, "an indoor smart garden solution that enables users to easily grow vegetables and herbs at home." More info here.
