Japanese turn road into musical instrument…
Posted on 19. Nov, 2007 by Jonathan Cherry in Design
…., we fear a new advertising medium innovation coming on.
You know when they’re doing road works, and the road gets ‘combed’ leaving those grooves in the tar that sound weird when your tyres hit it? You know, the ones that can also cause you to to become one with the SLK in the adjacent lane if you’re not holding onto the steering wheel tight enough.
Yes…those ones. Well the Japanese have decided to experiment with their civil engineering techniques and have invented a road that plays a musical tune.
Odd, but true [video link]
Small grooves built into the road surface, positioned between 6 and
12mm apart, emit an audible sound when a car passes over them. The size
of the gap between each groove affects the pitch of the sound so it’s
possible to make out an entire song as long as there’s enough road
ahead.
For optimal results cars need to travel at just 28mph, which ensures that wind, engine and tire noise are at a minimum. [via]
We shudder to think that in a year or so, your trip to work could be trying to sell you a new washing powder.
