Alpine, a Japanese manufacturer of audio, video and security products for cars, has developed a car audio system called the Alpine F1 Status. Each time the system is switched on, the acoustic characteristics of the cabin are analyzed using a Time Stretched Pulse technique to synchronize the arrival time of sound from the speakers in the car.
Read more on the Alpine web site.
Matsushita, the Japanese company that manufactures under the Panasonic and National brands, have developed a technique to provide a listener wearing headphones the feeling of 3-dimensional sound. Typically people wearing headphones think the noise is coming from the center of their head. The new technique involves modifying the sound to account for the transfer function of the ear canal, so that the listener thinks the sound is coming from in front.
Read the press release on the Matsushita web site.
Panasonic make a range on noise cancellation headphones and earphones. See the Panasonic web site for more details.
David Swanson from Penn State University has developed a security system called APIDS – acoustic perimeter intrusion detection system. The system uses wires connected to geophones. When the wires are disturbed, the vibrations in the wires are analyzed by a computer to determine if the vibration is caused by an intruder or a false alarm such as wind, rain drops or a bird sitting on the wire.
Read more on the Washington Post web site.
Visit the Penn State graduate program in acoustics site.
The 10th International Congress on Sound and Vibration, will be held in Stockholm, Sweden between 7-10 July 2003. The conference organisers have extended the deadline for submission of abstracts to 1st February, 2003. Currently there are over 200 abstracts that have been submitted and the titles can be viewed here.
Read more on the ICSV10 web site.
There are often new additions to this web site, apart from the news items on the front page. I have added a link What’s New that is accessed from the menus under Departments.
Ellula Sounds has developed inflatable loudspeaker enclosures. They are intended for portable laptop or MP3 players. Models include 10W RMS desk speakers and a 35W RMS subwoofer.
It is well known that the acoustics in the Australian icon, the Sydney Opera House, is often criticized. A major program has begun to analyze the acoustics by Arup Acoustics. Ove Arup were the original structural engineers of the building.
Read more on the Sydney Morning Herald web site. Read the Arup web site on the Sydney Opera House, and the media release.
Emerson Process Management has a large collection of condition monitoring related application notes available online. Topics include bearing vibration analysis, data acquisition, balancing, oil analysis, thermography, and many more.
Sound Pharmaceuticals are developing a drug that can protect against hearing loss. Otoprotection drug trials have been conducted on animals and have shown success. Two of four potential drugs already have been approved for human use to treat other diseases. In addition, they are also examining the regeneration of auditory hair cells.