Suono is a Bluetooth speaker which aims to add sensory depth to our experience of music by exploring the interaction between sound and smoke. The downflow incense cone produces a steady stream of vagrant smoke towards the speaker driver. The sound from the speaker bounces the smoke perfectly on beat, combining visual, auditory, and olfactory experience for music.
The speaker model was 3d printed out of pla filament. A puck for the incense to sit on was carved out of zebrawood on a lath and an impression was created to house a metal washer. The electrical speaker components were sourced from a portable Bluetooth speaker. Button extenders were employed to reach the circuit board from the outside casing and an acrylic tube was inserted to provide the viewing area.
Growing up, I had a friend who was hearing-impaired. This impairment did not stop him from enjoying music as he was always wearing large headphones. He told me while he may not be able to hear the music, he could feel it. This always fascinated me as I had thought music could only be perceived by sound, yet here was my friend enjoying his music solely with the sense of touch. This inspired me to try to incorporate other senses like sight and smell to a speaker.
The human brain is incredible at synthesizing sensory inputs with memory, which can be observed by our ability to recognize a song by just the first couple of seconds. The goal of the project was to show that this isn't exclusive to sound but works with the other senses. After using the speaker for a while, someone could recognize a song by the first couple plumes of smoke, which would prove beneficial for someone with a hearing -impairment, while also serving as an immersive experience for anyone.
The largest challenge I faced for Suono was determining the perfect geometrical form for the speaker. This form had to allow sound to be projected clearly at the user from the speaker driver while simultaneously protecting the fragile stream of smoke from any background air movement or wind. After numerous iterations followed by extensive experimentation, the hyperbolic, conical design with fins provided the perfect balance of protection and clarity for the main functionality of the speaker.
