LAUSR

The thermophone is a device which creates sound using rapid heat oscillations on its surface. This results in a thin and lightweight loudspeaker with no moving parts. Braun was the first to address this phenomenon in the late 1800s. Arnold and Crandall developed the first theory and correlated experimental results in 1917. Unfortunately, the materials necessary to make an efficient thermophone did not exist in their time. In 2008, Xiao rediscovered the thermophone effect using carbon nanotube thin films, a material much better suited to efficient thermophones. Since then many researchers have been working on developing thermophone technology using carbon nanostructures including nanotubes, nanofibers, and graphene. This talk will cover the history of the thermophone from its early days through today and give a broad overview of the application areas for this technology, which span from underwater transducers to consumer electronics and automotive applications.