Murata develops world's first waterproof, ultra-thin piezoelectric speakers

Kyoto-based Murata has developed the world’s first piezoelectric speaker that not only is waterproof but also ultra-thin (0.9mm). The devices are meant to be mainly used with mobile phones, which makes sense, given that almost 25% of the 50 latest cell phones released (on the Japanese market, at least) are actually waterproof.

Needless to say, Murata IPX7-compliant speakers, dubbed VSLBG1914E1400-T0, can be used for other mobile devices as well – for example, cameras, portable music players or mobile TVs. Murata says they boosted sound quality by doing away with conventional waterproof sheets that cover sound output holes in similar products.

The company also says not using those sheets helps pushing production costs down, too. Buyers can already order samples for $2.73 each, with Murata planning to churn out one million units monthly from now on.