Draft:Holosonics
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Comment: In preparing this draft, I disclose that AI assistance was used as follows: I used Claude (claude.ai) to help research sources and suggest structure, but all article text was written by me in my own words. The previous submission was declined for LLM content, this version has been fully rewritten by a human. BrentL1976 (talk) 17:40, 6 October 2026 (UTC)
Holosonics, formally known as Holosonic Research Labs, Inc., is an American manufacturer of directional loudspeaker systems headquartered in Watertown, Massachusetts. The company was founded in 1999 and produces products based on parametric audio technology, which uses an ultrasonic carrier signal to generate focused beams of audible sound directed at specific listeners while leaving surrounding areas quiet.
The main product line offered by Holosonics is called Audio Spotlight. Audio Spotlight systems are used in museums, retail environments, banking facilities, hospitals, and other public and commercial settings where isolated audio delivery is required.
Holosonics was founded by F. Joseph Pompei, who developed the underlying technology during his time as a researcher at the MIT Media Lab. Pompei presented his findings at the 105th Audio Engineering Society Convention in 1998 and began commercial sales of the Audio Spotlight system in 2000.
History
[edit]The acoustic phenomenon underlying the Audio Spotlight, the parametric array, was first described in a 1963 paper by P. J. Westervelt in the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, which showed that two intersecting ultrasonic beams could generate an audible difference frequency through the nonlinear properties of the propagating medium.[1] In 1975, Bennett and Blackstock demonstrated that the parametric array effect could be reproduced in air.[2]
F. Joseph Pompei, while conducting research at the MIT Media Lab, developed a practical system for generating audible sound from an ultrasonic parametric array in air, presenting his findings at the 105th Audio Engineering Society Convention in 1998.[3] Pompei founded Holosonics in 1999 and began commercial sales of the Audio Spotlight system in 2000.
In 2009, the BBC used Audio Spotlight speakers in a campaign promoting BBC Radio 3, in which members of the public stepping into branded "sound spots" at locations across the United Kingdom heard classical music as if wearing headphones, while those nearby heard nothing. The campaign was reported by Campaign magazine.[4]
In 2013, Swiss public broadcaster SRF featured the technology in a segment of its science programme Einstein, examining its use in targeted advertising.[5]
Technology
[edit]The Audio Spotlight produces sound by modulating an audio signal onto a high-frequency ultrasonic carrier. Nonlinear effects in air demodulate the signal during transmission, creating audible sound along a narrow beam rather than from a traditional speaker cone. An independent review in AudioTechnology magazine that included frequency response and sound pressure level tests at varying distances assessed the system's acoustic performance.[6]
The product line consists of three models — the AS-24iX, AS-16iX, and AS-168iX — differentiated by panel size, acoustic output, and coverage pattern. All models are manufactured in Watertown, Massachusetts. Holosonics holds over 25 issued patents in the United States and internationally, covering signal processing mathematics, transducer design, and amplifier technology used in the system.
Applications
[edit]Audio Spotlight technology has been deployed across museum, banking, retail, and advertising applications.
In museum and cultural settings, a 2025 article in AV Magazine by reporter Phil Ward examined audio applications in museums and referenced directional speaker installations of the type produced by Holosonics.[7] AV Interactive reported on an installation of Audio Spotlight AS-24i speakers at the Mob Museum in Las Vegas, covering the Crime Lab Experience and Organized Crime Today exhibits, where up to four speakers delivered separate audio narratives to adjacent visitors along a touchscreen wall.[8]
Local television news coverage by NBC affiliate NewsWest9 in Midland, Texas, described the installation of Audio Spotlight speakers at the Museum of the Southwest, including comments from the museum curator on the visitor experience.[9]
In the financial sector, Audio Spotlight systems have been deployed at Interactive Teller Machines at banks. A 2021 article in Installation Magazine by editor Rob Lane described touchless directional audio applications in museums, healthcare facilities, and other settings.[10]
Systems Contractor News journalist Wayne Cavadi wrote a feature on the use of Audio Spotlight speakers in a cultural exhibit installation, describing how the speakers delivered focused audio at individual stations without interference between adjacent exhibits.[11] The AS-24iX was selected as an editorial product pick in the Systems Contractor News Integration Guide to Conferencing and Collaboration supplement.[12]
In 2021, the technology was discussed in an interview with Pompei on Audacious, a programme on Connecticut Public Radio hosted by Chion Wolf, in the context of out-of-home advertising applications.[13]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Westervelt, P. J. (1963). "Parametric Acoustic Array". Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 35 (4): 535–537.
- ↑ Bennett, M. B.; Blackstock, D. T. (1975). "Parametric array in air". Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 57 (2): 562–568.
- ↑ Pompei, F. J. (1998). "The Audio Spotlight". Proceedings of the 105th Audio Engineering Society Convention: Preprint 4853.
- ↑ Bold, Ben (April 16, 2009). "BBC Radio 3 pioneers 'audio spotlights' in TV campaign". Campaign. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
- ↑ "Lasergenaue Schallwellen: Die Werbebotschaft im Kopf". Einstein (in German). 2013. SRF. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
- ↑ "Holosonics Audio Spotlight" (PDF). AudioTechnology. No. 34. 2006. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
- ↑ Ward, Phil (August 21, 2025). "Sound Advice: History transformed into museum sound". AV Magazine. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
- ↑ "Audio Spotlight speakers found at museum crime scenes". AV Interactive. August 15, 2018. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
- ↑ "Museum of the Southwest installs new directional speakers". NewsWest9. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
- ↑ Lane, Rob (October 5, 2021). "Exclusive: A new direction for touchless audio". Installation Magazine. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
- ↑ Cavadi, Wayne (January 2026). "Huntsville Calling". Systems Contractor News. AVNetwork.
- ↑ "Integration Guide to Conferencing and Collaboration". Systems Contractor News. No. 373. AVNetwork. January 2025. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
- ↑ Chion Wolf (2021-10-08). "The Big Picture: What Billboards Do To Us". Audacious. Connecticut Public Radio. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
External links
[edit]Submission declined on 26 July 2026 by Pythoncoder (talk).
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- Comment: This will require a complete re-write WITHOUT the use of AI. Theroadislong (talk) 16:03, 27 July 2026 (UTC)
 | This article contains paid contributions. It may require cleanup to comply with Wikipedia's content policies, particularly neutral point of view. (July 2026) |
Holosonics (officially Holosonic Research Labs, Inc.) is an American manufacturer of directional loudspeaker systems based in Watertown, Massachusetts. The company produces the Audio Spotlight product line, which uses parametric audio technology to generate a narrow beam of audible sound from an ultrasonic carrier signal. Holosonics was founded in 1999 by F. Joseph Pompei, who developed the underlying technology as a researcher at the MIT Media Lab.
History
[edit]The acoustic phenomenon underlying the Audio Spotlight — the parametric array — was first described by P. J. Westervelt in a 1963 paper in the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, which demonstrated that two intersecting ultrasonic beams could produce an audible difference frequency through the nonlinear properties of the propagating medium.[1] In 1975, Bennett and Blackstock demonstrated that the parametric array effect could be reproduced in air.[2]
F. Joseph Pompei, while conducting research at the MIT Media Lab, developed a practical system for generating high-quality audible sound from an ultrasonic parametric array in air, presenting his findings at the 105th Audio Engineering Society Convention in 1998.[3] Pompei founded Holosonics in 1999 and began commercial sales of the Audio Spotlight system in 2000.
In 2009, the BBC used Audio Spotlight speakers in a campaign promoting BBC Radio 3, in which members of the public stepping into branded "sound spots" at locations across the United Kingdom heard classical music as if wearing headphones, while those nearby heard nothing. The campaign was reported by Campaign magazine.[4]
In 2013, Swiss public broadcaster SRF featured the technology in a segment on its science programme Einstein, examining its use in targeted advertising.[5]
Technology
[edit]The Audio Spotlight generates sound by modulating an audio signal onto an ultrasonic carrier wave. The nonlinear properties of air cause the beam to self-demodulate as it propagates, producing audible sound along a narrow column in the air rather than from a physical speaker cone. An independent review in AudioTechnology magazine, which included frequency response measurements and sound pressure level testing at varying distances, evaluated the system's acoustic performance.[6]
The product line includes three models — the AS-24iX, AS-16iX, and AS-168iX — differentiated by panel size, output level, and coverage pattern. All models are manufactured in Watertown, Massachusetts. Holosonics holds over 25 issued patents in the United States and internationally covering the signal processing mathematics, transducer design, and amplifier technology used in the system.
Applications
[edit]Audio Spotlight systems have been installed across a range of commercial and institutional settings.
In museum and cultural institution contexts, a 2025 feature in AV Magazine by journalist Phil Ward examined museum audio technology and referenced directional speaker installations of the type produced by Holosonics.[7] AV Interactive reported on an installation of Audio Spotlight AS-24i speakers at the Mob Museum in Las Vegas, covering the Crime Lab Experience and Organised Crime Today exhibits, where up to four speakers delivered simultaneous but separate audio narratives to adjacent listeners along a touchscreen wall.[8] The technology was also noted in a 2020 student news report covering a Chinese gold exhibition at Middlebury College, which listed a Holosonics Audio Spotlight among the technologies used in the exhibit.[9]
A local television news report by NBC affiliate NewsWest9 in Midland, Texas, covered the installation of Audio Spotlight speakers at the Museum of the Southwest, quoting the museum curator on the technology's effect on the visitor experience.[10]
In the banking sector, Audio Spotlight systems have been deployed at Interactive Teller Machines (ITMs) at financial institutions. A 2021 feature in Installation Magazine by editor Rob Lane, written from the perspective of Holosonics technical sales manager Cristofer Osden, discussed the use of touchless directional audio in museums, hospitals, and other settings during and following the COVID-19 pandemic.[11]
Systems Contractor News journalist Wayne Cavadi wrote a feature on the use of Audio Spotlight speakers in a cultural exhibit installation, describing how the directional speakers delivered focused audio narratives without sound bleed between adjacent display stations.[12] The AS-24iX model was also selected as an editorial product pick in the Systems Contractor News Integration Guide to Conferencing and Collaboration supplement, in the context of audio privacy applications in conference and control room environments.[13]
Representatives of Holosonics have contributed commentary to industry publications including AV Technology magazine's "Thought Leaders Sound Advice" feature.[14]
In 2021, the technology was discussed in an interview with Pompei on the Connecticut Public Radio programme Audacious, hosted by Chion Wolf, in the context of its use in out-of-home advertising.[15]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Westervelt, P. J. (1963). "Parametric Acoustic Array". Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 35 (4): 535–537.
- ↑ Bennett, M. B.; Blackstock, D. T. (1975). "Parametric array in air". Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 57 (2): 562–568.
- ↑ Pompei, F. J. (1998). "The Audio Spotlight". Proceedings of the 105th Audio Engineering Society Convention: Preprint 4853.
- ↑ Bold, Ben (April 16, 2009). "BBC Radio 3 pioneers 'audio spotlights' in TV campaign". Campaign. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
- ↑ "Lasergenaue Schallwellen: Die Werbebotschaft im Kopf". Einstein (in German). 2013. SRF. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
- ↑ "Holosonics Audio Spotlight" (PDF). AudioTechnology. No. 34. Retrieved 2026-07-23.
- ↑ Ward, Phil (August 21, 2025). "Sound Advice: History transformed into museum sound". AV Magazine. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
- ↑ "Audio Spotlight speakers found at museum crime scenes". AV Interactive. August 15, 2018. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
- ↑ "Museum of the Southwest installs new directional speakers". NewsWest9. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
- ↑ Lane, Rob (October 5, 2021). "Exclusive: A new direction for touchless audio". Installation Magazine. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
- ↑ Cavadi, Wayne (January 2026). "Huntsville Calling". Systems Contractor News. AVNetwork.
- ↑ "Integration Guide to Conferencing and Collaboration". Systems Contractor News. No. 373. AVNetwork. January 2025. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
- ↑ Chion Wolf (2021-10-08). "The Big Picture: What Billboards Do To Us". Audacious. Connecticut Public Radio. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
- ↑ Davis, Cindy; O'Hearn, Macy (July 2024). "Thought Leaders Sound Advice". AV Technology. Retrieved 2026-07-23.
- ↑ Chion Wolf (2021-10-08). "The Big Picture: What Billboards Do To Us". Audacious. Connecticut Public Radio. Retrieved 2026-07-23.
External links
[edit]Category:Audio equipment manufacturers Category:Companies based in Massachusetts Category:Technology companies established in 1999 Category:Acoustics Category:Ultrasound
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