Students develop a speaker powered by wood, not wires

A group of sixth-form students has developed a battery-free wooden amplifier that increases smartphone volume using natural acoustics.

They claim their amplifier naturally increases volume by around 25-30 per cent while also doubling as a phone stand.

Their company, Elevate, is taking part in the JA Young Enterprise programme, where students are challenged to create and run their own business.

After weeks of brainstorming and testing different ideas, they settled on a product inspired by something close to home: music.

“We were trying to find a business idea that would work both from a sales perspective and for the competition,” explained Luke Spiteri, one of the team members. “One of our friends plays the guitar and seeing how sound is amplified naturally through the guitar’s body gave us the inspiration.”

The result is a compact, curved wooden amplifier. The phone’s speaker sits inside a carved opening, and the shape of the wood amplifies the sound naturally.

The amplifier is made of wood and Elevate says it also doubles as a phone stand.

Their passive amplifier draws on principles learned and refined across thousands of years, from the architectural design of Greek and Roman amphitheatres to the design of the Gramophone in the late 19^th century.  

While modern audio traditionally relies on electricity to boost signals through speakers, passive amplification systems like Elevate’s use physical properties of shape, material, and airflow to manipulate sound waves.

According to Adonai Zammit Ghigo, the idea did not come instantly. “It was a long process and a bit of a question mark at first,” he said. “But we all like music – I play the trumpet myself – and when our friend was playing the guitar, something just clicked. We decided to try and build and engineer it.”

Elevate say their amplifier is sustainably manufactured and mostly made from recycled wood. The final design incorporates American walnut and pine, chosen both for aesthetic appeal and acoustic performance.

“Wood is denser than plastic, so it amplifies sound better,” explained Zammit Ghigo. “We considered 3D printing or plastic, but it wouldn’t have looked or sounded as good. The wooden finish makes it more pleasing to the eye and more professional.”

After creating several handmade prototypes, the team moved production to a CNC (computer numerical control) machine.

“Handmaking them wasn’t feasible if we wanted to produce in bulk,” Spiteri said. “With the CNC machine, we give the design to the computer, and it cuts the shape precisely.”

Finding a manufacturing partner was challenging, they admit.

“I spent countless hours trying to find someone to help us,” Zammit Ghigo said. “Convincing people that this was a feasible idea wasn’t easy because of our age and lack of experience.”

Elevate say the product is attracting interest, and point to its customisation potential, as the amplifier can be engraved. A customer who placed an order of around 15 units wanted to use them as branded giveaways at an event, the company said.

Its simplicity is another plus, they note.

“You don’t have to connect anything or charge it,” said Spiteri. “You just put your phone in, and it works. It’s very user-friendly.”