Imagine if you could turn all the walls in your home office or garage into speakers. Well, researchers at MIT have developed a new speaker that’s as thin as a piece of paper and so lightweight it can go almost anywhere.

This new speaker technology is ultra-thin, but it’s also flexible and highly durable, meaning in the future, we could potentially mount it to all types of different surfaces. Not only that, but it’s also incredibly energy-efficient and takes hardly any power to produce some audible tunes.

The technology is still new, and in the early stages, so the sound quality isn’t top-notch yet. Also, we’re not sure what types of volumes it can play at, but the video below will give you a good idea of this amazing new speaker technology.

And while this is not the first time researchers have developed an insanely thin speaker, previous versions wouldn’t produce sound unless it was out in the open. MIT’s version works no matter what, whether bent or lying flat up against a wall. It doesn’t need room to vibrate and move air, which delivers crisp sound.

Keep in mind that such a small surface area that doesn’t move air means you probably won’t get that much bass, but it’s a start. This type of technology can certainly evolve and improve over time.

According to the report, MIT’s paper speaker uses about a tenth of the electricity as your typical home speaker, meaning it’s incredibly efficient. The research paper discusses this type of technology being used for noise cancelation and much more.

Imagine if MIT could get this technology to a consumer or prosumer level. We could line the inside of cars with it to block out sound while delivering incredible audio or turn the entire dance floor into one giant speaker.

If this technology ever becomes a reality, the options could be endless.

via Gizmodo