Seeing Phone Conversations
Given that we’re visual creatures, it’s surprising how much of the day we spend immersed in an audio-only medium: the telephone. But at the MIT Media Lab, researchers have built a device that bridges that gap, adding a mesmerizing visual component to phone conversations. Don’t think picture-phones, which have repeatedly flopped with consumers: instead the Visiphone, developed by Karrie Karahalios and colleagues in the Media Lab’s Sociable Media group, displays abstract symbols representing the sounds made by each speaker over time.
You’ll need to see it in action to understand it, but in essence, the Visiphone is a glass half-dome that fits over a small video projector. When someone speaks, a colored circle shows up at the center of the dome, with the size of the circle representing the volume of the speech. As the conversation progresses, the original circle slowly spirals out to the edge of the dome, replaced by new circles at the center.
The researchers call the device an experiment in the “social and aesthetic aspects of visualizations of sound,” with the goal of enhancing each speaker’s awareness of the other and, in a sense, allowing people calling across long distances to keep each other company. At the moment the Visiphone is more akin to a modern art installation or a science-museum display than a practical tool–but then again, building sometimes-wacky prototypes that stimulate original thinking about the technologies around us is where the Media Lab excels.
Keep Reading
Most Popular
DeepMind’s cofounder: Generative AI is just a phase. What’s next is interactive AI.
“This is a profound moment in the history of technology,” says Mustafa Suleyman.
What to know about this autumn’s covid vaccines
New variants will pose a challenge, but early signs suggest the shots will still boost antibody responses.
Human-plus-AI solutions mitigate security threats
With the right human oversight, emerging technologies like artificial intelligence can help keep business and customer data secure
Next slide, please: A brief history of the corporate presentation
From million-dollar slide shows to Steve Jobs’s introduction of the iPhone, a bit of show business never hurt plain old business.
Stay connected
Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review
Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.