It seems folks are just incessant in the quest to create new kinds of microphones, with a California-based inventor patenting the latest attempt in the form of the sure-to-be-Mini-Me-approved laser microphone.

ENGADGET: Inventor patents laser microphone

Plenty of thought appears to have gone into the design: For example, there's an extra laser microphone under the keyboard, complementing the two mics next to the camera, allowing the software to cancel out any noise you might make while typing on a video conference.

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