Sound

Noise-cancelling headphones are great for blocking out the loud talkers and chaotic coffee shops of the world, but what if there are certain sounds that you want to hear? That's where the experimental new "semantic hearing" system could soon come in.

Whisper Aero wants to revolutionize electric aviation with propulsion systems 100x quieter and 20% more efficient than anything else on the market. While it's working on that, it's thrown together a quiet, powerful, efficient leaf blower as a demo.

Guiding lasers where they need to go is a key part of optics systems, and now engineers at DESY have developed a way to bend laser beams without anything touching them. The light is deflected using an invisible grating made of air shaped by acoustics.

Nearly 60 years after American folk duo Simon & Garfunkel sang their earworm tune “The Sound of Silence,” three researchers have resurrected the age-old question as to whether the absence of noise is something we can hear and our brains can interpret.

EPFL researchers have developed a 100% effective, ultra-thin active noise cancelling system that uses an ionized air plasma propulsion system instead of speakers. A 17-mm-thick (0.6-in) layer can block 20 Hz noise as well as a 4-m-thick (13-ft) wall.

Shoegaze heroes My Bloody Valentine are one of the loudest bands on Earth, so much so their wall of sound has even caused buildings to crack. Chief noisemaker Kevin Shields has now made a pedal so you can DIY your own guitar-triggered home demolition.

Bowers & Wilkins’ iconic Nautilus loudspeaker has gotten a stunning pearly makeover for its 30th anniversary, inspired by the mollusk its named after. But you might want to add it to the dream pile: standard models currently have a two-year waitlist.

Researchers have developed a breakthrough ultrasound method that uses shear waves to, for the first time, measure tension in human tissue. The discovery has to the potential to revolutionize disease diagnosis.

While there are some mechanical problems that can easily be detected by a car's onboard sensors, there are others which are a bit trickier. The V2M system is designed to catch those other ones, by listening for them using onboard modules.

Scientists have created “acoustic holograms” that can assemble matter into 3D objects, using just sound. The technique works with various types of particles and even living cells, allowing for a new kind of 3D printing that’s fast and contact-free.

For some time now, a nanomaterial known as MXene has been touted as a faster-charging alternative to the lithium used in batteries. It could soon be an even more viable choice, as scientists have devised a method of making it last much longer.

A new study has reported on the first human tests of an experimental therapy using sound and light to treat Alzheimer's disease. The initial results are promising, with the treatment leading to some neurological and cognitive improvements.