Yamaha has recently announced that it has developed and tested a way of utilizing sound waves as a means of transferring data between various devices, allowing existing sound-producing devices like TV and radio sets to transmit information by delivering a high-frequency audio signal to network-capable devices like the iPhone.
This feat is achieved by using a high-frequency audio signal of 18kHz that most audio devices out there are able to produce.
The technology has been recently tested by
Yamaha in Japan, using an iPhone loaded with a special app that allowed for the phone to pick up the audio broadcast and translate it into a usable URL for web surfing.
Still in its early stages, the technology has its limitations as data speeds are right now set at an incredibly low 80bps.
To put things in perspective, even an obsolete 26.6kbps modem is 333 times faster than the present implementation of Infosound.
However, high transfer speeds aren't what Infosound is about, as the technology was designed in order to enable any sound device to
transfer data, bringing additional information to the user.
As
VR-Zone puts it, Infosound could be used to mix in a specific sound frequency into the broadcasting signal which can then by interpreted by a
smartphone, providing users with details about the band they are listening to or about the movie they are watching.
In addition, this technology could be used to deliver in-show advertisements, although I certainly hope this won't be the case.
According to Yamaha, the technology is immune to noise interferences, meaning that users won't have to reposition their speakers, its effective rage being rated at about 10 meters, more than enough for most users.
Sandy, no information is available detailing when we should expect this technology to reach our living rooms.
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