Japanese scientists invent device to shut loud people up

Dubbed the SpeechJammer, the prototype device takes advantage of psychologists' discovery that it is virtually impossible to speak when your own words are being played back to you with a delay of a fraction of a second.

The gadget has been devised by Kazutaka Kurihara, a researcher at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, and Koji Tsukada, a professor at Ochanomizu University in Tokyo, and is remarkably simple.

They said it could be used to maintain silence in public libraries and to "facilitate discussion" in group meetings.

"We have to establish and obey rules for proper turn-taking when speaking," they said. "There are still many cases in which the negative aspects of speech become a barrier to the peaceful resolution of conflicts."

The microphone and speaker are directional so the device can be aimed at a speaker from a distance, like a gun.

"The system can disturb remote people's speech without any physical comfort," the scientists said added.

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