Archives for April 2001

CHINESE, SINGAPORE RESEARCHERS TO WORK ON AUDIO CONTROL TECHNOLOGY

Chinese and Singapore researchers will conduct joint R&D on the futuristic technology to control audio signal and noise and explore its wide applications.

Under a Memorandum of Understanding signed here Thursday between the Institute of Acoustics of the Chinese Academy of Science and the Center for Signal Processing (CSP) of Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, a team of researchers from both the institute and the center will undertake and focus their efforts on three projects, namely the “Audio Beam” technology, the “Smart Window” and the “Active Noise Control Headset”.

The “Audio Beam” technology, raved as the ultimate sound control technology and deemed to revolutionize the audio world, will create an extremely narrow audio beam like that of laser.

The beam, when directed solely at a specific listener, allows only the desired person to hear it without reaching or disturbing nearby audience, when projected against a surface, will create a virtual speaker at the point of reflection.

With this highly sophisticated and totally personalized technology, one can listen to his rock music on a radio together in the same room with another jotting down recipes from a cooking program on TV without having to compromise his radio volume or to be restricted with a headphone.

The “Smart Window” technology is a long term research project and is capable of sieving out unwanted noise from outside to create a quiet zone so one can have tranquil ambient within his or her enclosed surroundings.

This technology provides smart solution to people in urban cities who are often disturbed by the constant palpable buzz of noise from human, vehicles and construction works in their living and working environment.

The Active Noise Control Technology allows the listener to suppress unwanted noise but still retaining the desired speech that he wants to listen to.

It applications have a significant impact, particularly to people working in harmful noisy environments such as in airplane, helicopter, factory and construction sites.

Source: Xinghua News Agency