Fast Company | Business + Innovation: The Japanese idiom ishin-denshin refers to "an unspoken mutual understanding" and literally translates as "what the mind thinks, the heart transmits." It's also the apt name of a new Disney microphone device that inaudibly transmits sounds through the human body.
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In the same sense that an electric toothbrush that can play music through your jaw bone while brushing your teeth is entertaining or how astronauts can talk to each other via direct helmet to helmet contact without radios is useful, this technology presents many opportunities for practical application, such as in situation where silence is required. I also find it interesting that a company like Disney is researching a producing technology like this.
As cool as this is, are there any medical drawbacks? I mean, the sounds waves are going through your bones to reach the other person's ear bones, forcing them to vibrate and produce the thought that sound is being played. I thought that toothbrush ones were bad enough because they sent the vibrations through your head to the ear bones (and it still might be worse), but this is also just as weird.
The way sound works is through vibrations, so that means that this microphone is sending out inaudible vibrations through your body. That can't be good for anyone. They have just essentially made a human vibrator...that packs enough to make noise that the ear can interpret as sound.
First of all, it is awesome that CMU acting alumni are photographed in this article. Second of all, this is a really cool form of technology, but I do not see much practical use for it. I can see enjoying this technology perhaps as a little kid playing with my friends. In the real world, though, I do not see how this would be useable or useful. During load-in for The Crucible, we have been using walkie talkies. The walkie talkies, in my opinion, are a great addition to the load-in productivity. I have quickly noticed the huge difference in communication the walkie talkies seem to bridge during a load-in. Now when I look at this new body walkie-talkie technology, I am confused. Yes, the technology is innovative and cool. However, if you have to walk up to a person and touch their ear lobe in order to communicate, why not just speak out loud?
I agree with Jess. When I saw that CMU alumni photographed in this article, it automatically drew my attention. Also, although it is not the same concept, it reminds me of an electric speaker that Dan brought to class one day.It was a speaker that one can stick one end of speaker to any object and the object becomes a speaker. This speaker is much cooler because it can then be heard through one receiver. However, I too agree that I don't really see any practical usage of this because if anyone truly wants to say something in private, he or she can whisper instead of recording to the microphone, rendering it to be inaudible, and finally touching someone else's ear. However, by developing this cool technology further, I think Disney can apply this to something very useful.
This is the first time I have seen or heard of such technology, and I am a little over whelmed. The microphone is crazy! I love it, and I have no idea how you would use it but I am sure Disney has some awesome idea for a new ride/attraction. But this is great and exciting. I really want to experience it and try to figure out what is actually going on. Hopefully this does not give you cancer!
This microphone is incredible. I am in awe at what it can do! I think that the progression that is occurring in the development of technology is unreal, and I cannot wait to see what the people of the world have developed in 10-20 years. My only question at the moment is: Are there medical drawbacks that are unforeseen? I have a strong feeling that these types of advancements in technology will lead to some new form of disease that we are all waiting to discover. I guess we will have to wait and see!
I cannot finish this comment without mentioning Alex Spieth.
This is cool, but not useful yet. The article doesn't go in to much detail on the tech behind this device, or the uses for it. I suspect that what ever sorts of sounds/vibrations are being used here are very impressive and could be put to all sorts of great uses, but I can't be sure. The actual device that Disney has made doesn't seem to have any real uses. I can see the technology behind it becoming useful though. I hope that we see more news about this that goes in to more detail.
K clark thinks that there will be medical drawbacks as a result of using this device. "...this microphone is sending out inaudible vibrations through your body. That can't be good for anyone." this idea is something that is easy to jump to, but as far as I can tell it is unfounded. It does seem that this device will be sending vibrations though the users body, but that does not mean that the body will be harmed. I'm sure that the good folks over at Disney have taken much care to make sure that they are not creating something that is going to hurt it's users.
This is actually really weird. Maybe because I don’t understand exactly how it works. I can see technology like this being implemented as a new style for IEMs or backstage intercom systems, but I honestly do not like the idea of sound literally being transmitted through my bones.
Think about it, using this technology they developed, Disney can literally put thoughts directly into your head.
This is actually really weird. Maybe because I don’t understand exactly how it works. I can see technology like this being implemented as a new style for IEMs or backstage intercom systems, but I honestly do not like the idea of sound literally being transmitted through my bones. Think about it, using this technology they developed, Disney can literally put thoughts directly into your head.
Is this real? This is such a cool concept but so bizarre that I can hardly wrap my head around it. I'm also not quite sure when this would be practical, but it's still really incredible. The only time I can really think of using it would be in a really big ice breaker at orientation or some similar event. Could this be in any way bad for the human body? It doesn't seem healthy to me. Either way, this is a slightly terrifying concept but it's such a cool idea.
What a title. This concept is wicked awesome. I would love to see a little bit more of the effect the sound waves have on the bodies of the transmitter and the receiver though. Furthermore, how long can you hold the message in your body before it disappears? I also have a feeling this technology would be misused if used by screaming people. I predict a loss of hearing. Also, it says you can transmit secrets discretely... but the truth of the matter is you have to say them out loud into the microphone first. Is that effective? I'd like some more information on this topic.
This is really cool and I'd want to see it in action. My thoughts on the concept of the "whispering finger" are that it seems a little pointless if the person you are conversing with is only a matter of feet away from you and has to touch you in order for the sound to transfer. If there was a way to keep the sound for an elongated period of time so that someone could speak something, and then an hour or so later be able to "whisper" it into their friend's ear, I feel like that would be more effective and completely different than just standing a few feet away.
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