Scientists think they've found a way for city dwellers to let in fresh air while reducing urban discord - it's a bit like putting huge noise-canceling headphones in your apartment.
Tired of building noise, fast trains and car alarms pouring through the open window of your tiny apartment in a crowded city?
Scientists think they've found a way for city dwellers to let in fresh air while reducing urban discord - it's a bit like putting huge noise-canceling headphones in your apartment.
Under the system pioneered in Singapore, 24 small speakers were placed on the metal grid of an open window to create what the researchers called "sound shield".
When noises like traffic or a subway are detected, the speakers generate sound waves that cancel out some of the debt - much the same way some high-tech headphones do.
It's like "using noise to fight off noise," said Gan Won Seng, who leads the research team from Nanyang Technological University in the space-hungry state-city who complains about a lot of noise in apartments.
He told France Press in a laboratory where a prototype of the device was prepared, that while the racket is blocked from the outside, it "also allows natural ventilation and lighting through windows."
The system can reduce incoming sound by 10 dB, and works best with noises like trains or construction work - but it won't block unexpected high-frequency sounds like dog barking.
Jan hopes that allowing people to keep windows open for natural ventilation will reduce the use of energy-hungry air conditioners, and may improve people's health by reducing noise that causes problems such as disturbed sleep.
Some might dismiss the idea of placing 24 small speakers on one of their networks, although researchers are working on a version of the system that reduces window clogging.
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