LG's New Ultra-Thin Audio Actuator: Turning Anything into a Speaker

source: TechRadar At CES 2023, LG Display Automotive offered a preview of an innovative audio actuator that can transform almost any surface into a robust speaker. The Sound Solution with Thin Actuator is a device that looks like it could be ripped off a notepad, but a thin copper cable running off one end gives it away. The actuator measures only 12cm x 6cm x 0.3mm thin and weighs just 12 grams, making it easy to embed almost anywhere, including behind screens. The unique technology used in the actuator begins with vibration. It is comparable to the voice coil found at the center of a traditional speaker. However, instead of using a thin membrane cone as the diaphragm, the thin actuator uses the surface it is embedded in as the diaphragm. The actuator vibrates at various frequencies, and the material around it vibrates like a diaphragm, serving as an amplifier. This approach offers many benefits over traditional speakers, especially in terms of producing big sound. Standard 4K TV speakers use tiny voice coils and diaphragm cones that struggle to produce sound. The thin actuator can utilize the entire display screen to amplify sound. It can also be easily placed in a car's headrest, delivering sound directly to the back of the driver's head and ears. LG representatives demonstrated the technology by a specially equipped test vehicle. LG Display Automotive had hidden 12 thin actuators and three standard subwoofers inside the car for a 12.3, 3D Dolby sound system. The only indication of the actuators' presence was little green stickers dotted throughout the interior, indicating their locations. Also Read: How to install applications on an LG smart TV? LG Display Automotive does not plan to release these paper-thin actuators for use in cars in the near future. Unlike its partner company, LG Electronics, LG Display Automotive specializes in manufacturing technology for other companies, including its parent company LG. However, LG Display Automotive representatives have revealed that they are in talks with car manufacturers about how and when to bring this audio technology to their cars. It is also likely that the thin actuators could be used in future 4K and 8K TVs, as well as some of the thin and flexible screens LG Display is developing for future cars. If everything goes according to plan, we could experience ultra-thin actuator sound in the near future.