Introducing the not-so-loudspeaker

The speaker, called the "Dazzling Dancing Mate", uses a highly directional audiobeam speaker that can project sound in a specific direction and control the range of transmission.

"That means those within the speaker's transmission range, for example the dancers, will hear the music, but those outside the range, such as neighbors, won't," Zhu says.

The device is equipped with three loudspeakers that can broadcast audio within a specified range, coupled with the top projector that has a camera that rotates a full 360 degrees to capture the dancers' steps and automatically project a range of lighting effects.

"There is applied technology in the field already, so we believe our design will become a real product in the near future," Zhu says.

Sony's has held its student design workshop in China for eight years - appropriately, this year the theme is "wellness".

In collaboration with universities, the program aims to provide a platform to combine advanced media and Internet technology with creative, curious young oncampus talent.

Four designs by 16 students were exhibited, including the "Dazzling Dancing Mate", a musical toothbrush designed for children who dislike brushing their teeth, and an intelligent running mate for the rising number of joggers in China.

"We encourage students to look into the details of daily life around them and to care about people who have troubles," said Zhong Hongsheng, a renowned designer from Sony China's Innovation Center. "The students' designs can become functional products within five years."