---

DaimlerChrysler Corporation and MIT 'Spotlight' Unique Audio Technology in Concept Truck

12 June 2000

DaimlerChrysler Corporation and MIT 'Spotlight' Unique Audio Technology in Concept Truck

    AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - The days of fighting over who gets to choose the music
during family trips may soon be over, thanks to a collaborative effort between 
DaimlerChrysler Corporation and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's 
Media Lab.

    The Dodge MAXXcab concept truck is the first automotive application of
Audio Spotlight(TM) -- an MIT Media Lab technology that directs a narrow beam
of sound much like a spotlight projects light.  Only the person whom the sound
beam is "shined" at can hear it.  This makes it possible for each passenger to
listen to something completely different without interfering with each other.

    "The variety of sound sources is only going to increase with the
availability of voice-enabled navigation, e-mail, cell phones, video games and
movies in your future vehicle," said Steve Buckley, electrical product
innovation manager at DaimlerChrysler Corp.  "The Dodge MAXXcab is great test
bed for this technology because it already includes features such as the back-
seat 'Edu-tainment' system for the kids and front-seat plug-and-play computer
with voice-activated features."

    In the MAXXcab, four Audio Spotlights are imbedded in the headliner
directly above the passengers.  Two speakers "shine" on the front-seat
passengers while the other speakers are aimed at rear-seat passengers creating
two distinct audio environments.  In future applications, each passenger could
have a unique sound environment, Buckley said.

    The technology was developed as an MIT Media Lab project by 27-year-old
Joe Pompei.  The MIT student and occasional musician was frustrated by the
inability to control sound from traditional speakers.

    "The location of sound, and how it is distributed around the listener,
greatly defines the listening experience," Pompei explains.  "We're used to
doing this with light -- we already use light bulbs, spotlights and projectors
to control our visual environment.  With the Audio Spotlight, we can now have
the same control over sound."

    The Audio Spotlight consists of a thin, circular transducer array and a
specially designed signal processor and amplifier.  The lightweight transducer
is about one-half inch thick and nonmagnetic.  The signal processor and
amplifier are integrated into a system about the same size as a traditional
audio amplifier and it has similar power requirements.

    Unlike traditional speakers that transmit non-directed audible sound at
wavelengths of several feet, the Audio Spotlight transmits millimeter-sized,
ultrasonic waves which form a very narrow beam of sound which becomes audible
as it travels through the air.  The current system produces relatively low-
volume sound at typical passenger positions as it has not been optimized for
close-range listening, Pompei said.  It is currently designed for long-range
projection and further development in transducer design will solve that
problem, he added.

    "Personalization of the various info-tainment features is a key
development area for DaimlerChrysler," Buckley added.  "This is especially
important for the driver who needs useful information like traffic updates
without being distracted by their spouse's music or a child's video game."

    The Audio Spotlight technology is still in development research and has
commercial interest from several MIT Media Lab sponsors representing a variety
of industries, Pompei said.  None of the technologies in the system are
inherently expensive, and many components are actually smaller than today's
systems, according to Pompei.  If produced in volume, he anticipates it could
be competitively priced with conventional audio systems.