Tag: Sound Waves

The most powerful sound laser ever made

sarah JonasResearch Results

Scientists have significantly improved a new type of laser that uses sound waves instead of light. This “phonon laser” has potential uses in deep-sea exploration, medical imaging, and other areas. The researchers were able to greatly boost the power and precision of the sound waves by adding a small electronic nudge. This paves the way for future devices using sound for a wider range of tasks.

Acoustic Sensors Pinpoint Shooters in Urban Setting #ASA182

sarah JonasResearch Results

As part of the 182nd ASA Meeting, Luisa Still, of Sensor Data and Information Fusion, will discuss the important factors in determining shooter localization accuracy. In an urban setting, buildings or other obstacles can reflect, refract, and absorb sound waves, which can severely impact said accuracy. Preemptively predicting this is crucial for mission planning in urban environments. Still and her team used geometric considerations to model acoustic sensor measurements. This modeling, combined with information on sensor characteristics, the sensor-to-shooter geometry, and the urban environment, allowed them to calculate a prediction of localization accuracy.