"Oh, Max... not the Cone of Silence!"

No Privacy in Your Cubicle? Try an Electronic Silencer
By JOHN MARKOFF    NY TImes

Two people in an office here were having a tete-a-tete, but it was impossible for a listener standing nearby to understand what they were saying. The conversation sounded like a waterfall of voices, both tantalizingly familiar and yet incomprehensible.

The cone of silence, called Babble, is actually a device composed of a sound processor and several speakers that multiply and scramble voices that come within its range.

The system will be introduced in June by Sonare Technologies, a new subsidiary of Herman Miller, the maker of the Aeron chair, as part of an effort to move beyond office furniture. The company plans to sell the device for less than $400 through consumer electronics and office supply stores.

full story at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/30/technology/30hillis.html?ex=1275105600&en=4a1c68b85a47519f&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

Babbel website:
http://www.sonaretechnologies.com/babble.html