Japanese Plants Boom the Beats To Boogie

[Big Booger]

Using Plants as Speakers

People who like talking to their plants can now enjoy a musical accompaniment, thanks to a Japanese invention that turns petals and leaves into amplifiers.

Called the "Flower Speaker Amplifiers", the gadget made by Let's Corp is hidden in a vase or a potted plant and sends music at just the right frequency to vibrate up the stems and then be converted into audible sound by the plant as a whole.

A device such as a CD player or radio can be connected to it.

"Anywhere where you would want music naturally integrated with a natural surrounding," said Hirohiko Okugawa, a manager at Let's, referring to locations for the device, which he expects it to be popular for hotels and hospital lobbies.

The inventor of the gadget, Keiji Koga, said: "We are finally able to experience plants and flowers with all five of our natural senses."

The firm expects to begin selling the speakers by mid-August for 5,000 yen (24.8 pounds) to 50,000 yen depending on the plant's size.

And according to Koga, music is also good for the plants, which are invigorated by the constant musical vibes.



SOURCE

[Taro Toporific]

Gadget turns plants into speakers

The Associated Press /SEPTEMBER 14, 2004 / Tokyo

Place the flowers into the vase, turn on Ka-on and the magnet and coil relay the sound vibrations up the stems through the plant's water tubes.

Near your ear and hear the music emanate from the petals. Touch a leaf, and feel it shake as though in a quiet dance.

Later this month, you'll be able to carry on a telephone conversation with a flower with a planned speaker phone model...

....Ka-on vases and amplifiers come in various sizes, ranging in price from ¥5000 to ¥50,000 ($65 to $650). There's a version that works with potted plants, and a wireless connection will soon be available for piping music to the Ka-on.

Not only does Ka-on deliver flowery music, it keeps bugs off plants and helps cut flowers last longer, Gotoh claims.

"The plant is happy listening to music," says Gotoh, showing off a rubber plant hooked up to Ka-on in his Tokyo office. "Gerberas and sunflowers work especially well as speakers."

Ka-on is also being used for concerts. Several Ka-on were planted near a bamboo grove to play music at a recent event in Japan.

About 3,000 of ¥5000 Ka-on version, on sale via the internet since July, have been sold and some 10,000 orders have been received so far.