Monday, Nov. 01, 2004
You're at reception in a Tokyo hotel when a bouquet on the counter begins to emit gentle music. Has your green tea been spiked? No, the management has invested in a Ka-on, a device from Nagoya-based telecom equipment maker Let's Corp. (
www.lets-co.co.jp) that turns any posy into a loudspeaker. The Ka-on (Japanese for flower sound) consists of a vase into which users insert floral designs—the works are hidden in the base. Hook it up to a CD player, stereo or TV, and the Ka-on relays the sound up the plants' stems. According to the company, gerberas and sunflowers perform well, and they'd suit the gentle strum of a samisen (a kind of Japanese lute). But can they handle heavy metal? Despite the assertion of people like Britain's Prince Charles that plants respond to the human voice, research has so far shown that flora are deaf to sound waves—your Ka-on creations will probably withstand whatever you pump through them. The Ka-on is currently only available in Japan, but Let's Corp. is working on versions for other markets. So people who talk to their plants may soon find them answering back.
- Lucy Fisher
- Flower Drum Song
