Engineering noise in Germany.

This article reports that IAC Ltd., a world-leader in the design and build of anechoic testing chambers, has replaced a chamber for the Bergische University at Wuppertal in Germany. Provided by the German division of IAC, the facility provides a vulnerable revenue stream for the university, enabling it to undertake acoustic testing both for manufacturers in various sectors and for other universities' research departments. There were some unusual features that the project design had tor factor in, such as having to house the new anechoic chamber inside a former military headquarters, meaning that the building's thick walls and roof would provide a valuable starting level of noise attenuation. The new chamber is one of Germany's leading centres for active noise control (ANC) research. ANC is a specialised technology that eliminates noise with contra noise. By effectively overlaying undesired sound waves with anti-noise, under optimum conditions, the undesired noise is 100 per cent eliminated, rendering it completely inaudible to the human ear. Noise elimination is not the only field of application for the team at Bergische University. They are also working on adding sound waves to existing sounds to make them more distinctive. In the same way that Harley Davidson motorbikes have patented that unique Harley engine sound, so too are some car manufacturers creating unique, unmistakable sounds for their car engines which, in time, will become as recognisable as their brands.