Princeton invention delivers 3D sound from ordinary laptop speakers

I was the producer on this video about the research of a Princeton engineer who’s developed a way to reproduce 3D sound through loudspeakers. As of this posting, the video has been viewed more than 108,000 times on YouTube.

Here’s the explanation I wrote to accompany the video, which was shot and directed by Michael E. Wood, a Princeton graduate and film student:

Edgar Choueiri, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Princeton University, has developed a way to play true three-dimensional sound recordings over regular loudspeakers, such as those found in televisions and computer laptops.

The technique may one day be used to allow 3D televisions to produce lifelike sound and to help people with certain types of hearing impairments locate noises. Segments of the video above incorporate Choueri’s 3D filter to demonstrate the phenomenon.

The filter is designed to work with loudspeakers – not headphones – and can be experienced through standard computer speakers. (Make sure the right and left speakers are on the correct sides.)