Posts by Norman

By ‘hearing’, robots gain a new sense of their surroundingsby Elle Hardy September 2, 2020 in Robotics Researchers have found that sounds can help robots differentiate between objects and improve perception.In the rapidly developing field of robotics, machines have generally relied on sight, and increasingly touch, for their sensory perception. But groundbreaking research by a…

Kate Kelland LONDON (Reuters) – COVID-19 lockdowns worldwide led to the longest and most pronounced reduction in human-linked seismic vibrations ever recorded, sharpening scientists’ ability to hear earth’s natural signals and detect earthquakes, a study found on Thursday. FILE PHOTO: A working seismograph is shown in a display about earthquakes during the Great ShakeOut Earthquake…

A microphone outside the window measures the incoming noise so that an array of two dozen speakers can cancel it outSpeakersAn array of 24 speakers can quiet city noise by as much as closing the window (NTU Singapore)By Theresa MachemerSMITHSONIANMAG.COMJULY 14, 2020 Living next to a busy street or constant construction makes opening the window…

By Sarah Berry February 4, 2020 The sound of your alarm clock may determine whether you wake up in the morning feeling groggy or fresh, a small new study has found. Standard alarm clock sounds (‘beep, beep, beep’) were associated with increased grogginess among participants while melodic sounds (The Beach Boys Good Vibrations or The…

By Pete Wells Jan. 21, 2020 Whatever else readers say in article comments, on social media or in their emails to me, two responses are far and away the most common when I write about restaurants. The first is a rejection of the whole idea of eating out, because after all one can eat much…

The Women’s and Children’s Hospital is getting an upgrade but it’s too loud for some of its tiniest patients. Thankfully help is on the way. Brad Crouch, Health Reporter, The Advertiser Twins Jake and Jude are given earmuffs to protect them from construction noise at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital. Picture: AAP / Keryn Stevens…

Like human personnel, military dogs are susceptible to hearing loss from exposure to high levels of noise A dog wears the Canine Auditory Protection System, or CAPS. (Zeteo Tech)By Brigit KatzSMITHSONIAN.COMDECEMBER 6, 2019 Highly trained dogs play an integral role in the United States military. Some 1,600 pooches work alongside soldiers while performing such vital…

Technology and academic research come together in Israel to find solutions for people with hearing impairment. By Abigail Klein Leichman DECEMBER 2, 2019 An air-raid siren awakened Erez Lugashi one night in 2014. As he ran for shelter, he wondered: What would a deaf person doin this situation? That question led the experienced Tel Aviv…

Scientists are using sound speakers in a bid to save the Great Barrier Reef Researcher Tim Gordon deploys an underwater loudspeaker on a coral reef. Photo: University of Exeter Scientists have used underwater loudspeakers to entice fish to move back into the dead parts of the Great Barrier Reef. The unorthodox strategy was concocted by…

From tiny insects to large marine mammals, animals are affected by noise in ways that might threaten their survival Bats flying with Houston skyline in backgroundCity noise can throw off a bat’s ability to use echolocation. (Richard Eden / Getty Stock Images)By Brigit KatzSMITHSONIAN.COMNOVEMBER 22, 2019 Traffic blaring on the ground, planes roaring through the…