Laser Microphones

Laser microphones are primarily used in the surveillance industry. A laser microphone is a device that detects sound vibrations in a distant object. It can be used to eavesdrop with minimal chance of exposure.

Laser Microphones History

Using a light beam to remotely record sound probably originated with Léon Theremin in the Soviet Union in or before 1947, when he developed and utilized the Buran eavesdropping system. This worked by using a low-power infrared beam (not a laser) from a distance to detect the sound vibrations in the glass windows. Lavrentiy Beria, head of the KGB, had used this Buran device to spy on Moscow's U.S., British, and French embassies. A laser-based mic has been developed in the ever-constant quest to eliminate distortion from microphones. We can say that it is still in the experimental stage. However, it deserves attention because it could revolutionize microphone design.

The Technology Behind Laser Microphones

The technology is described as a particulate flow detection microphone. A stream of air infused with particles passes through a chamber within the outer casing near the top, where sound waves from the back disturb the particles. A laser beam passes through the stream, which modulates the intensity. Furthermore, a photosensor converts that modulated light into an electric signal analogous to the original sound wave. The process eliminates all nonlinearities in converting from acoustic to electric energy, hence freeing sound distortion. Most commonly, its main parts are the Sound port, Airstream exit, a Laser, a Photosensor, a Sensing chamber, an Airstream entrance, and Electrical conductors.

Converting Vibrations Into an Audio Signal

The human voice can generate sound waves from 300 Hz to 3400 Hz [8]. These sound waves vibrate nearby objects, making it possible for an analog electronic device to convert these vibrations into an audio signal. One way to accomplish this conversion from movement to audio is to use a "laser microphone." It reflects a laser off the vibrating object and uses a receiver to capture its reflection. The reflection of the laser deflects as vibrations shift the surface of the vibrating object. Therefore, if a receiver takes in the oscillating laser signal from a fixed location, the receiver will detect the laser deflections caused by the vibrations produced initially from an audio signal. The receiver can then filter and amplify this signal and output it as audio. Through this process, the laser microphone effectively reproduces the audio that induced the object's vibrations. The laser microphone can reproduce audio detected from a vibrating surface with relatively high accuracy: less than 8% distortion. As an additional feature, the laser microphone can also transmit audio. It uses an amplitude-modulated laser signal, captures it, and outputs the audio. Thus, by using a laser-based system that captures oscillations in the laser's position, the laser microphone can accurately reproduce both the audio that induced an object's vibrations and audio transmitted via laser communication.