Sound

Airliners can make a lot of noise and use a lot of fuel when they're coming in for a landing. A new onboard computer system, however, was recently shown to be effective at addressing both problems.

Researchers from Ben Gurion University and the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel have developed a new way of working out what's being said inside a room without actually hearing the audio: by monitoring the vibrations of a light bulb.

When two interlocking parts of a product are joined together in a factory, they typically make a satisfying "click" sound. By listening for such noises, a newly-developed system can detect when faults have occurred on robotic assembly lines.

Many drones already utilize ultrasound to detect obstacles lying directly in their path. A new drone system, however, uses sound to determine where all of the walls are within a room – providing guidance when vision- or light-based systems cannot.

If the growing proliferation of smart speakers in our homes makes you a little uneasy, researchers from the University of Chicago might have the answer: a wearable bracelet that jams the microphones in speakers, smartwatches, and smartphones alike.

While some vehicles now utilize computer vision systems to "see" items such as road signs, the urban environment consists not only of sights, but also sounds. With that in mind, German scientists are creating a noise-recognition system for cars.

A team of researchers is proposing a radical new technique for killing cancer cells using low-intensity ultrasound waves. The work is still at an early stage but cell tests have shown sound waves can destroy cancer while leaving healthy cells intact.

Exposure to sustained loud noise often results in hearing loss. But now, biologists are testing drugs they call “chemical earmuffs” in mice, which could prevent hearing loss without affecting the volume or quality of sound.

Road noise has long been a problem in cars, but it's even more obvious in electric cars. Nissan has now developed an acoustic meta-material that is as effective as the sound insulation materials currently used, but at a quarter of the weight.

Many of us frequently use Google Maps' Street View feature, to see what things look like at a given location. Well, Australian scientists are developing sort of an audio equivalent, that will let users hear various eco-regions throughout the country.

Some birds make beautiful chirps and tweets. But the white bellbird blasts an obnoxious “song” so loud that it sounds almost digital. Now, researchers have measured just how ear-splitting it is – and crowned it the loudest bird call ever recorded.

NASA has released a symphony of sounds captured by InSight on Mars including quakes, howling winds, metallic “dinks and donks” and other eerie sounds.