Hearing Research – Current Insights

Posted: April 13, 2022

Hao, G., et al. (2022). Associations of road traffic noise with cardiovascular diseases and mortality: Longitudinal results from UK Biobank and meta-analysis. Environmental Research, 212(A), e14-e22(9).
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S001393512200456X?via%3Dihub  

• UK Biobank (https://www.ukbiobank.ac.uk/) contains genetic and health information for half a million participants. Hao and colleagues at Jinan University conducted a longitudinal cohort study of 342,566 cardiovascular disease-free (CVD-free) participants from the UK Biobank, to explore associations of road traffic noise exposure with CVD risk and mortality, all-cause mortality, and stroke risk. The team found that, in men but not in women, high road traffic noise exposure was significantly associated with increased risk of CVD mortality, stroke risk, and all-cause mortality.

Suhanek, M., Djurek, I., and Petosic, A. A Case Study: The Urban Residents’ Choice for Electric Vehicles Warning Sounds. American Journal of Environmental Science and Engineering, Special Issue: Smart Cities – Innovative Approaches. 3(3), 47-51.

https://www.academia.edu/49898287/A_Case_Study_The_Urban_Residents_Choice_for_Electric_Vehicles_Warning_Sounds

• What is the best sound to alert pedestrians of the presence, location, and movement of electric, often silent, vehicles? Acoustic Vehicle Alerting Systems (ACAS) are currently studied around the globe. This team researched pedestrian preferences for vehicle warning sounds. Preferred sounds included the sound of an internal combustion engine, modulated noise, music, and a non-combustion engine, electrical motor sound. No one preferred the sound a vehicle makes to warn that a seatbelt is not being worn. This short study (n=201) adds to a growing body of research on which sound(s), at what intensity and duration, are best for both sighted and visually-impaired or blind pedestrians, to travel safely in the presence of electric vehicles and related technologies.

Sound Postcard

Posted: April 13, 2022

A fabric that “hears” your heart's sounds Jennifer Chu, MIT News Office, March 16, 2022

Courtesy of the Fink Lab

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers have created acoustic fabric that converts mechanical vibrations into electrical signals, like our auditory system.  When the fabric is moved, an electrical charge is created. This fabric detects heartbeats and respirations, as well as “the angle of a sound to within 1 degree at a distance of 3 meters.” Not only does this fabric detect sounds, but it can also function as a speaker, sending audible vibrations to another fiber. Potential uses include measuring dust accumulation on spacecraft skin, crack or strain detection in structures, fetal heartbeat monitoring, and improving the signal-to-noise ratio.  

To learn more:
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-00760-w
https://whdh.com/news/local-researchers-redesigning-the-way-we-dress-by-studying-the-ear/