Suonoscope

Suonoscope being beta-tested
Suonoscope being beta tested
Idea concept

Technology should be simple and magical. Every child wanted to have an invisible coat or glasses capable of thru-wall vision. We decided to build Suonoscope. It is a telescope for sound which you can point in any direction to hear the sounds of nearby as well as far-away places. Just point it and focus on the distance you'd like to explore the sounds of.

Suonoscope is a toy for kids. It helps them to develop spatial awareness and better understanding of their surroundings and the world through their play and curiosity. At the closest distance the sounds of familiar places are heard, such as the train station, stadium, hospital and so on. The further you zoom out, the more exotic places you can hear – the Amazonian jungle or a market in China or a flyover Space-station or even coming thunderstorm. All depending on the direction in which the Suonoscope is pointed.

Built using an old Android phone, old USB mouse and IBM Watson freebie cup. Back-end using Sinatra/Ruby web service integrating with ArcGIS REST API and sounds from British Library archive.