The title is false. They are only microphones where a third party could tune into different conversations happening at a single table. This particular technology isn’t there yet to do noise cancelling on a room scale with specific zones.

Researchers plan to eventually make microphone robots that can move around rooms, instead of being limited to tables. The team is also investigating whether the speakers can emit sounds that allow for real-world mute and active zones, so people in different parts of a room can hear different audio. The current study is another step toward science fiction technologies, such as the “cone of silence” in “Get Smart” and “Dune,” the authors write.