This Nautilus Shell Has a New Purpose in Life: A Cyberpunk Haptic Speaker
Respectful and reversible modification delivers a Bluetooth-connected speaker-shell you can hold in your hands.
Pseudonymous maker "hide-key" has turned a "living fossil" into a cyberpunk bio-mechanical speaker — by connecting a nautilus shell to a haptic exciter.
"Have you ever heard of the legendary Japanese gadget called the Sazae Radio? It’s a radio built into a turban shell, originally released back in 2016," hide-key explains of the project's origins. "I wanted one desperately, but it was sold via lottery with only 100 units available for 8,350 applicants. The odds were 83.5 to 1. Mathematically, I never stood a chance. But remembering the moment the gods of the lottery closed the door, the spirit of DIY opened a window. I told myself: 'If I can't buy it, I'll build something even better.' I chose a Nautilus shell—a living fossil unchanged for 500 million years."
In similar projects, the shell might be used as the cabinet for a traditional speaker — allowing the airwaves generated to resonated inside. In hide-key's take on the concept, though, the shell itself is a speaker. "Instead of just placing a speaker inside," the maker explains, "I used an exciter to physically drive the shell itself. This turns the ancient fossil into a vibrating diaphragm that you can feel in your hands."
Initial experiments with a sea snail shell were a failure, the shell being too thick and heavy for the exciter to excite. The nautilus shell, though, proved perfect — once some damage had been repaired using aluminum kintsugi and with no permanent glues. "Everything must be removable so it can be returned to a natural specimen state," hide-key explains, "respecting CITES [Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora] regulations."
The shell is mounted on a quince wood base using brass rod, and a sound source connected to the exciter over Bluetooth. While the wooden stand serves as a mount, though, the shell itself is simply standing upon it — and can be picked up to feel the vibrations in your hands for what hide-key calls "haptic therapy mode."
The project is documented in full on Instructables.