We forgive you for drawing parallels between the Vitruvio Speaker and Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man drawing, but still, bow your head in shame. Just kidding. It’s a common mistake. The intention was to take the basic form, be inspired by Da Vinci’s Man and, in one burst of artistic energy, create the Vitruvio Speaker. Turned out pretty good for design duo Juan Soriano Blanco and Giorgio Bonaguro as the result is this stunning marriage between art and technology.
While the Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man drawing focuses on the male form (ooh-la-la), the Vitruvio Speaker is all about geometrical form (ooh-la-la). As you see, for the speaker frame, we have a cube-shaped structure and within it is the speaker, mounted within a suspended sphere. The sphere connects to the frame by rubber wires that run along the diagonal.
As for function, the sphere serves as a two-channel speaker. It emits impressive highs and lows working as well with an iPod as it does with a stereo surround-sound system. What helps this is the sound waves that vibrate the sphere with the rhythm of the song. The visual effect is impressive in itself and gives the impression of sound moving through the ball.
Blanco and Bonaguro say the cube can be crafted from solid wood or metal, and the ball can be made of metal or ceramic. The max you can stretch this design is: 40cm X 40 cm X 40 cm. You can catch a glimpse of this beauty on the Launch Pad at Wanted Design NYC.
Images: Andrea Basile
