What do a smoke machine, a laser pointer, a fan, a piece of toilet paper and tubing all have in common? Inventor David Schwartz gave the conventional microphone a complete makeover by throwing these seemingly unrelated items together to create the latest audio tech toy: the “smokrophone”.
Photo Courtesy of AP Photo/Daniel Schwartz.
Schwartz found his inspiration for the smokrophone during dinner at an Italian restaurant in 2004 with his wife. He watched as a thin stream of smoke from a candle would waver each time his wife spoke. Shortly there after, Schwartz invested in a disco fog machine and began experimenting.
Unlike conventional microphones, the smokerophone doesn’t need a diaphragm to work. Schwartz believes that the device’s lack of a diaphragm is what could make it a “high-fidelity recording microphone, or a supersensitive long-range microphone for spying.”
The smokrophone prototype and its creator are scheduled for a premiere October performance at the Audio Engineering Society in New York.