A company has released details of what it thinks is the answer to an age-old problem – battles over music during car journeys. Whilst music choices can create significant friction during road trips, the tech company Harman have unveiled a potential solution at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
Harman have created a method of creating different audio zones in one single vehicle. Its solution is designed to enable each passenger to hear a separate audio source whilst also diminishing “sonic clutter” – music being listed to by other passengers. The project’s lead engineer Christopher Ludwig told the BBC: “We are able to play the desired source of audio in a particular seat but also simultaneously play the opposite of the other sources of audio from the other seats, thereby cancelling their sounds out.”
Ludwig claimed that the system created “personalized audio zones”. Whilst he admitted that other audio sources wouldn’t disappear completely, he did cite a 15 to 20 db reduction “from zone to zone”. He said that noise from the vehicle itself would help prevent sounds from slipping into other zones. Harman says that it is ready to start negotiating with manufacturers about incorporating the system into vehicles.
Though the system is likely to be expensive at first, it’s though that the price will tumble dramatically as more and more companies develop similar alternatives.
Are car journeys hell for you? Do you resent having to endure the poor music taste of others? Maybe you think that the driver should always be in charge of the music? Let us know your thoughts below.