The Van der Waals is an orb-shaped audio-visual unit with two different hemispheres—a speaker unit on the rear and a transparent cage with ferrofluid hanging within on the front. The vibrations stir the inky ferrofluid as the music plays, producing a captivating auditory show. The ferrofluid varies based on the waveform’s current EQ depiction.
2. Van der Waals Ferrofluid Speaker
The Van der Waals is an orb-shaped audio-visual unit with two different
hemispheres—a speaker unit on the rear and a transparent cage with ferrofluid
hanging within on the front. The vibrations stir the inky ferrofluid as the music
plays, producing a captivating auditory show. The ferrofluid varies based on the
waveform’s current EQ depiction.
What is Ferrofluid?
NASA created the ferrofluid to move fuel into rocket engines without gravity. It didn’t
quite work out for that reason, but it did look good and serve other purposes. It can be
used as a ball-bearing lubricant, a speaker damper, or a hard drive sealer.
The ferrofluid, a viscous black glob, combines a magnetic substance, such as small iron
filings, with a liquid combination that keeps the particles from adhering together. The
ferrofluid flows like a liquid, but it also reacts to magnetic fields, allowing it to be
manipulated and animated without physical contact.