A Clap of Light

Remote control by radio and light waves has come along to operate from afar everything from TV to garage doors. This week Sonus Corp. will add a new tone to remote control. It will start distributing the Sonuswitch, which is activated by sound.

Anything electric can be plugged into Sonuswitch. All one has to do to turn it on or off is to clap his hands twice, quickly and sharply. The claps trigger the switch--and presto! Or a dog whistle, provided with the $40 switch, can be blown twice. For Sonuswitch is trained to respond only to 14-kilocycle signals that occur twice in the space of half a second. A constant signal will not do it, and the company, which is primarily an acoustical research and development firm, claims that few stray sounds will accidentally trigger it.

The 14,000 cycle frequency is so high that the adult human can barely hear it. The sound from clapping hands has overtones that get up to the high frequency, but overtones have little volume or carrying power, which means that the sound must be emphatic and reasonably close to the switch. The sound of dropped china breaking on a wood floor will not do, according to lab tests, but the second movement of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons will--if played on an absolutely first-rate, perfectly tuned hi-fi system. So will the telephone, if it is set on "loud" and the switch is within three feet. Before the year is out, the company plans to offer a second model that will respond only to the phone and only after 15 full phone rings. That will enable the housewife to call and start the air conditioner or the electric heater or the oven.

Lights, however, should be the most popular item to get Sonuswitching, the company figures. Travelers will be able to phone and turn the lights on at night to fool prowlers, then turn them off later on. And then, of course, there is always the predatory bachelor anxious for scientific help. With Sonuswitch, he never has to leave the couch. When he wants to turn off the light, all he has to do is clap his hands. There is still a handy riposte available for a quick-witted prey, however. She can slap him hard, twice.

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