The home of the future is a weird and wonderful place. And to go with your robot butler you’ll obviously want a 6.1 surround sound system that doesn’t get in the way. So why not put it in a rug, on the floor?

That’s exactly what Panasonic has shown off on its stand at the IFA consumer electronics fair, giving us the chance to put our feet up amid the hustle and bustle of the show and listen to a surround experience like no other.

The rug has four speakers, one to each of its corners, adding to the stereo output of the TV itself and separate subwoofer (that last one’s not in the rug, we hasten to add) for a 6.1 system. The speakers aren’t sunk into the pile, though, as that would hinder the sound penetration too much.

We listened to the experience and found it sounded decent (not, ahem, rugged), albeit a bit low down. And we mean that in a physical sense, not as an assessment of bass: there wasn’t the same level of precision from well placed speakers to give the same level of all-encompassing depth.

We were also treated to an interactive projection table, where we picked a short film to test out the pseudo connected home of the future. This smart home business sure leaves no stone unturned.

But it’s very much of the future. Panasonic doesn’t have plans to release this embedded audio setup as a purchasable product, it’s more an example of exploring the potential and shaking up the norm.