Re: Is there any device that can literally throw your voice?

Moe,

Interesting idea!  Especially the laser beam with the delayed action.  
Recently a scientist at Harvard was able to bring light to a stop (from 
186000 miles per second) and then release it at will!  You could send your 
signal and stop it halfway to its destination, leave the room, and then 
let the laser complete its journey - not such a fantasy anymore.
 http://www.cnn.com/2001/US/01/25/delaney.debrief/index.html


Because sound and light waves travel in different ways but are based on 
similiar wave theories I can't say it's possible, but I also certainly 
wouldn't say in the future that anything is impossible.

By "throwing your voice" I take it to mean that we want the sound waves 
that originate in our vocal chords to seem to eminate from another place.  
I am unaware of any device which can do this.  

However, in certain buildings with parabolic ceilings (such as the domes 
of capitol buildings, for instance), conversations in other parts of the 
building can seem to come from the focal point of the parabolic ceiling 
instead of where they actually are taking place.  But you can't really 
carry a capitol building in your pocket.  Because our "voice" is actually 
pressure differences traveling through the air, to be really tricky you 
would need to generate or reflect those waves from a different position 
than where you are standing.  Short of the old "hide the walkie talkie in 
the closet" trick I can't think of any other ideas.  In the meantime, be 
careful what you say in a building with a dome ceiling - you never know 
who is listening!

Sorry I couldn't help more!

Sincerely,
Steven Miller
smiller@kahuna.sdsu.edu
Undergrad - Mechanical Engineering
San Diego State University