Polyus is an omnidirectional speaker with the potential of creating an unlimited amount of virtual sound sources at precise points in space. Spectators get the truly immersive experience of being surrounded by an artificial sonic environment.
Some sounds may seem intimately close as if they are in the listeners mind, while others seem far away as if they originated from the opposite side of the space.

The sound sources can be moved using a touchscreen interface in which the sources are represented as colored dots.

When Polyus is used in open spaces, certain sounds can only be heard by observers located at specific areas. This function could be used in public spaces as an acoustic warning or guidance system, eliminating the need of multiple fixed loudspeakers and with the advantage of being able to change the position of the virtual sound sources instantly to where they are needed. Polyus uses a directional speaker called Acouspade™ to play sounds which are then reflected by an oval plate spinning at high velocity, similar to a Leslie speaker.

All images by Johannes Wernicke