SonicSlate

SonicSlate is a walkable, flat-panel speaker interface for embodied sound interaction. Rather than relying on visible or intrusive speaker arrays, the system is embedded in seemingly ordinary flooring materials, allowing sound to be transmitted directly through the floor’s surface. SonicSlate is essentially a matrix of flat-panel speakers that allows for layered auditory experiences that evolve alongside shifting user movement and position.
SonicSlate aims to expand the interaction design possibilities of walkable sound interfaces in order to support new forms of engagement that are not dependent on screens or wearable devices. Its modular construction allows for easy installation, while its use of physical sound spatialization enables the system to be used in a variety of acoustic contexts.
One application of SonicSlate is the Audible Giant, a subsystem which magnifies object-scale phenomena to human scale. This is achieved through a second, object-scale miniature version of SonicSlate that acts as an input surface. The movements of small objects such as marbles or paperclips are captured by the miniature and relayed to the larger model in real time.