Monthly Archives: January 2014

Time For A Change

Technology is constantly being updated. A computer model may last only 4 years before it is considered outdated. Smartphones we all know last till our 2 year contract. These constant innovations are changing how we live our lives on a daily basis. And I don’t know about you, but I can’t go a day without listening to music. Music is a timeless entity that brings joy and life to our lives. It the heartbeat when trying to get pumped up before a game. It’s the thing that can soothe and relax us during our stressful days. We cannot change that music will forever be in our lives. However, we can change how we can listen to it.

beatsBeat Headphones was founded in 2008 by songwriter and producer Dr. Dre and co-founder Jimmy Lovine. Since then, Beat headphones have taken off. Now with deals in Chrystler, HP, HTC, and Dell, these premium headphones have worked their way into every way we listen to music. Their only competition is Bose. The headphone industry is almost a duopoly, each biting their way to come out with the new best idea. With sound quality being completely equal, it is left to the the interface, design, and style left to be the decision maker to the consumer. Beats by Dre are becoming exceedingly big in younger generations by capturing different colors and using celebrity models to advertise. In order to keep growing, Beats will need something that the already-established Bose don’t.

With technology, we have been able to make better sounding headphones, but we have never changed how we use them. Headphones are still relatively primative in comparision to these voice activating computers or touch-screen smartphones. I suggest that Beat Headphones bring their product to present times. Headphones have been known to only play, pause, or stop music. By giving Beat Headphones an interface, their product would become more user-friendly, convient, and appealing.

Notice in the picture, how the side of the headphone is almost slick and flat. Now, imagine if the slick flat surface became a touchpad. The touchpad would allow users to control their music without ever touching the phone in their pocket. By programming the touchpad to register certain flicks, movements, and touches, Beat Headphones could do so much more. The interface would allow their product to not only control pause, play, and stop, but as well as volume control, song changes, shuffle, repeat, and noise cancelation control.

Now this technology has been out there for years now, but Beats has recently released Beats Radio. Similiar to Pandora, the interface could be specially designed to fit the needs for their app improving compatability. The interface would allow you to change playlists, like, and dislike songs as well.

These changes might be small, but the appeal and change in how we listen to music can be the desicion maker to any teenager and college-student.

 

waterspeakersOver the course of winter break, I acquired the gift of water speakers. These are a growing cool but cute 8 inch speakers system that pulsates water upward to the beat of a song. Installed with LED lights, these speakers can be a cool kick to any small dorm party. With a passion in music and engineering, I continued to search the web for water speakers that fit my needs. Unfortunately, no water speakers have been created past this 8 inch tall model. These $15 speakers broke within the first week. Taking the opportunity, I took them apart to understand how these new hip speakers operate.

Curiosity killed the speaker in this situation. Dismantling the system completely, I fully understand how the engineers made this product come to life. Incased in the plasic, water mixed with plant oil, is pulsed into the air to the beat of the music. It quickly falls and disappears near the edges of the sheet of plastic  and underneath to the speaker area. Underneath the visible product, the engineers created the water system by having a cogwheel spin at high speeds to force the water through a tunnel and up into the visible surface. The water is distributed evenly between the 4 openings directly above the LED lights. After being shot out, it will fall back underneath the surface to be recycled.  With the LED lights directly underneath the openings, it creates an illusion that the water is colored. To protect from any water leakage, the cogwheel is incased in the plastic inside the water system. To make motion, the cogwheel has magnets on the bottom of the 6 teeth. Powering the cogwheel is the motor on the opposite side of the plastic(dry area), connected to a disk in line with 6 other magnetics. The magnetic force allows the cogwheel to spin without direct contact by the magnets. Additionally, when the speakers are turned on, the attraction is increased due to current. With a stronger force, the slippage between magnets is negligible proving an efficient system.

My vision is to take this concept to the next level. I would like to make these cute small speakers into a setting similar to fraternity or apartment parties. With the sound ability similar to a living room sound system, these water speakers will be bigger and badder. The water would max 36 inches high rather than 8 inches. To compensate for the additional height, the structure must be slightly tilted to the angle of diffraction, so that the water falling won’t interfere with the water rising. Also, the water would pulsate to the frequency coming out rather than 4 openings pulsating simultaneously. By having 5 separate cogwheels, each moving independently; the effect would bring much more attraction. As with more height, more water would be required; also increasing the load and stress on the cogwheels. To keep the efficiency to the same level, stronger magnets and current would be needed as well as larger cogwheels. Since living room sound systems require more voltage to begin with, energy consumption wouldn’t be an issue. The current design is plugged into a laptop to correct for the amount of voltage and energy required. With all these changes applied to the original design, I would hope that it would not interfere with any patents. Please give me tips and feedback about this idea.