Microphone polar patterns, sometimes called pickup patterns, define microphone sensitivity in different directions. The different polar patterns are used for controlling sound pickup and isolating the sound source, or sources, of primary interest from surrounding sources. There are six common microphone polar patterns: cardioid, supercardioid, hypercardioid, omnidirectional, lobar, and bidirectional. Polar patterns are represented by […]
What’s a USB oscilloscope?
By connecting to a computer, a USB oscilloscope lets engineers offload screens and compute-intensive functions to the host, which reduces needed bench space and brings portability. Oscilloscopes are sometimes grouped into three types, benchtop, portable, and USB. The first two types are self-contained, but USB oscilloscopes are not. They consist of the electronics that capture […]
Las Vegas sphere 16K immersive LED technology
Inside the Sphere in Las Vegas is a 15,000 m2 (160,000 ft2, 4 acres) 16K resolution wraparound LED screen with over 170 million pixels. It’s 240 feet high and wraps around the audience to create fully immersive visual effects. The entire visual content generation and control system is completely redundant to ensure uninterrupted entertainment. This […]
Las Vegas Sphere spatial audio technology
The Sphere’s immersive spatial audio system is powered by 167,000 amplifier channels and sophisticated multilayer speaker arrays. This FAQ begins with a review of the amplifier technology, looks at the structure of the speaker arrays, and closes with the audio beamforming technology used to create spatial audio in the Sphere. The 167,000 channels of amplification […]
Las Vegas Sphere infrasonics, haptics, and 4D effects
The Sphere is all about entertainment. The entertainment incorporates numerous special effects, including infrasonics and haptics, to create 4D environments. In this case, “D” doesn’t refer to a physical dimension; it refers to additional sensory inputs beyond audio and visual. This FAQ reviews the use of moving magnet linear motors and class D drivers and […]
Las Vegas Sphere content creation
It takes a unique facility plus customized hardware and software to create the content seen in the Las Vegas Sphere. This FAQ looks at the production facility where the immersive content is developed, the custom 16K resolution video camera used to record video content and the customized software for creating the immersive audio. Until the […]
The Las Vegas Sphere by the numbers
The $2.3 billion technological marvel, the Las Vegas Sphere, opened Friday, 29 September 2023. It’s 112 meters (m) (366 ft) high and 157 m (516 ft) wide at its broadest point. It’s the largest spherical building in the world at 81,300 m2 (875,000 ft2). It includes seating for 18,600 people, and all seats have high-speed […]
If you’re designing MEMS devices, here are some tools to consider
The uses for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices have grown exponentially. Applications for MEMS technology include actuators, sensors, inertial measurement units (IMUs), energy harvesters, pumps, motors, oscillators, resonators, and more. They are used in all areas, from consumer to medical, military, and space. Two keys to the expansive uses of MEMS devices include the ability to […]
What are the four types of machine learning, and what are they used for?
Machine learning (ML) is a subset of artificial intelligence (AI). It’s used to enable machines to independently improve their performance using data and experience to modify future actions. ML applications range from autonomous vehicles to business processes. Various approaches to ML use different learning styles, require different levels of data input, and are optimized for […]
What are the elements of analog IC EDA tools?
Analog functions like sensor interfaces, signal conditioning, power management, and energy harvesting are needed in many applications. These functions are implemented with circuits like operational amplifiers, regulators, filters, sense amplifiers, low-noise amplifiers, phase-locked loops, analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), mixers, analog receiver front ends, and so on. These functions complement digital processing and can be implemented as […]