LG Display’s go-anywhere paper-thin speakers could be the future of audio
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Good sound needs space, or so I thought. Then at CES 2023, LG Display Automotive gave me a preview of a new kind of audio actuator that’s razor-thin and can turn almost anything into a relatively robust speaker.
The Sound Solution with Thin Actuator looks more like something you rip off a notepad than a device that can generate sound. However, a thin, copper cable snaking at one end is a giveaway.
At just 12cm x 6cm x 0.3mm thick (and weighing 12 grams), the actuator is designed to fit behind screens or be embedded almost anywhere.
How does something so thin generate sound? It starts with vibrations. Think of it like the voice coil in the center of a traditional loudspeaker. Instead of using a thin diaphragm cone as a diaphragm, the thin actuator uses whatever it is embedded in as a diagram. It vibrates at different frequencies and the material around it vibrates like a diaphragm, serving as an amplifier.
There are clear advantages to this approach. Typical 4K TV speakers suffer because they use tiny voice coils and diaphragm cones that struggle to produce big sound. The thin actuator could use the entire screen of the screen to amplify the sound. The actuators could just as well be placed in a car’s headrest, sending the sound directly to the back of your head and ears.
This is how LG explained the technology to me, but I wasn’t convinced until I heard it for myself.
LG representatives led me to a specially equipped test vehicle (I can’t tell you what make or model). Inside the cabin, LG Display Automotive had hidden 12 thin actuators and three standard subwoofers for 12.3, 3D Dolby sound. The only indication that the actuators were there were little green stickers dotted around the interior to indicate their location.
I got behind the wheel, closed the door and from outside the LG Display representative turned on the music. The noise was all around me, coming from the doors, the frame around them, the dashboard and the center panel. I could touch the fabric and feel vibrations. Granted, the substantial bass was delivered by old-fashioned woofers, but all the highs and mids from the actuators were crisp, clear and quite rich.
Don’t expect to see (or hear) these wafer-thin actuators in 2023 cars. Unlike its partner company LG Electronics, LG Display makes technology for other companies (including parent company LG). LG Display Automotive representatives told me they are already in talks with automakers about how and when to introduce this audio technology into their cars.
It’s also likely that the thin actuators will end up behind future 4K and 8K TVs, and some of the thin and flexible screens LG Display is developing for future cars.
If all goes well, we could experience ultra-thin actuator noise in the near future.
Check out our CES 2023 hub for all the latest from the show as it happens. We cover everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops and smart home gadgets, so stay with us for the big stories.