Researchers turn sound waves into 3D printed objects

The so-called sound spheres are, quite simply, physical representations of recorded sound. The surface of the spheres is covered in ridges running laterally around them. Each of these ridges represents a set of frequencies within the sound, with the lowest frequency at the bottom and the highest at the top. The more the ridges stick out, the louder the sound in that given frequency was at the time. To start with, the researchers used digital technology to generate a script before putting it together into a piece of software code. They then had to create software to save the code into an .STL format which could be recognised by a 3D printer so that a 3D model of the sound could be created. Several attempts followed at fabricating a solid model from the digital files, using different manufacturing methods and materials, before the researchers hit on a robust, plastic-based print. At the moment the sound sphere is a purely experimental product, but the team believes it could one day be used to help the deaf, in a similar way that Braille helps the blind to read.