Engineering

Sound-powered sensors stand to save millions of batteries

Sensors that monitor infrastructure, such as bridges or buildings, or are used in medical devices, such as prostheses for the deaf, require a constant supply of power. The energy for this usually comes from batteries, which ...

Engineering

Preventing the impact sound annoyance from lightweight floors

One of the biggest noise nuisances in homes arises from people simply moving around their homes. In particular, this can be quite disturbing for people living in buildings where adjoining homes have traditional wooden floors. ...

Engineering

3-D printed active metamaterials for sound and vibration control

Researchers have been pushing the capabilities of materials by carefully designing precise structures that exhibit abnormal properties that can control acoustic or optical waves. However, these metamaterials are constructed ...