Noise/Notes (Jun 2018)
By Eoin A. King, NNI Editor, and Eva Von Dell, NNI Social Media Assistant
NNI is on Facebook and Twitter—we try to keep our readers informed with noise news from all across the globe by highlighting interesting research and projects. Here is a roundup of some of the stories that have been making headlines. Follow @NNIEditor or our Facebook page to stay up to date with all noise-related news.
3-D Printed Metamaterials for Sound and Vibration Control
Researchers at the University of Southern California have developed 3-D printed metamaterials capable of switching between blocking sound and vibrations and letting them pass through. This is accomplished by putting iron particles in the structure and using a magnetic field to deform the material.
Is Noise Exposure Becoming the New Secondhand Smoke?
The Washington Post recently published a feature article considering the dangers associated with environmental noise exposure. The issue of educating the public on the dangers of noise exposure is compared to the decades it took to educate people on the dangers of secondhand smoke.
The Intriguing Case of Yanny and Laurel
Every so often a quirky photo, question, or illusion goes viral over the internet. The most recent viral offering is an audio illusion. It’s a simple question: What do you hear, “Yanny” or “Laurel”? This question originally appeared on Instagram, but it was then shared widely and inspired the New York Times to develop their own audio tool to investigate!
Ultrasonic Waves Are Everywhere
Live Science recently interviewed Prof. Timothy Leighton, from the University of Southampton in England, to discuss the prevalence of ultrasonic sounds surrounding us.
The Importance of Audio Quality
Researchers from the Australian National University and the University of Southern California recently published a study describing how audio quality has a significant impact on whether or not people believe what they hear. The paper “Good Sound, Good Research: How Audio Quality Influences Perceptions of the Research and Researcher” was recently published in Science Communication. In the study, the researchers played identical conference talks and radio interviews in high- or low-quality audio and asked people to evaluate the research presented.
