Watch this ferrofluid speaker pulse to the music
Sorry, what did you say? I was watching my music.
Ferrofluid was invented by a NASA engineer in an attempt to develop a method for manipulating rocket fuel in zero gravity -- but you probably know it as that cool black liquid that morphs into entrancing shapes when you put it near a magnet. If you get really close up to a pool of ferrofluid under the influence of a magnetic field, it almost looks like a 3D visualization you might see in a music video. Maybe that's what inspired this ferrofluid Bluetooth speaker , spotted earlier by Gizmodo.
This project may look like a lava lamp placed in front of a regular speaker, but it's surprisingly complicated. Artist Dakd Jung says ferrofluid has a tendency to stick to glass, so the container had to be specially treated before being filled with the magnetic fluid. Next, he had to build an electromagnetic device to manipulate the fluid to the sound of music. Finally, the entire contraption was placed into a sleek-looking 3D printed case.
The final result is a small but mesmerizing showcase of dancing liquid. The entire project looks pretty sharp too, but for now this seems to be a one-off prototype -- not a speaker you'll be able to buy for your den.