Infrasound Fire Suppression Goes Commercial

Sprinklers have long been the go-to fire protection for commercial properties and some residences. Dousing a fire in water not only puts out the flames but cools the surroundings and helps prevent reignition. But it requires complicated infrastructure and can damage buildings and their contents. Back in 2015, students were experimenting with an alternative fire extinguisher that used sound below the range of human hearing; now a company is pitching a version of that technology for replacing sprinklers.

As described by Ars Technica, this infrasound system can detect and put out a small kitchen fire in under a minute. But fire fighting experts warn that there’s a big difference between a fire small enough for a fire extinguisher to handle and the kinds of fires sprinklers put out. With lives at stake, the burden of proof is significant for Sonic Fire Tech and any other company that wants to get their infrasound “sprinkler” system cleared for use in buildings. (Image credit: I. Azevedo; via Ars Technica)

The Geometry of Noise: Sound Waves Distort Under Intensity

New research from May 20, 2026, explains how sound waves distort at high volumes. Learn why high-intensity noise changes the way we hear and process sound.

#scienceupdate, #acoustics, #soundwaves, #physicsnews, #hearinghealth

https://newsletter.tf/sound-waves-distort-above-160-decibels/

Scientists found that sound waves change shape when they are louder than 160 dB. This is different from the old theory that sound always stays the same.

#scienceupdate, #acoustics, #soundwaves, #physicsnews, #hearinghealth
https://newsletter.tf/sound-waves-distort-above-160-decibels/

“Laura Alice Bracken, a #Geelong-based artist, started building her own cyberdeck as an extension of her creative practice, in which she was experimenting with #MIDI controllers that take #biofrequencies from #plants and transform them into #soundwaves.

But Bracken, 39, wanted something she could take out into #nature and, after falling down a rabbit hole online, her mind started to widen to the world of #cyberdecks.

The device she is making – housed inside a vintage abalone shell – will also double as an e-reader.

“I just found out my #Kindle is about to be made redundant,” she says (Amazon recently announced they would no longer support #eReaders made before 2012).”

“It is a perfectly good Kindle ... so why is it suddenly going to be trash? It’s because they want to sell new ones.”

#PersonalComputing / #computers / #hardware / #DIY <https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life-and-relationships/the-young-women-building-their-own-computers-as-a-middle-finger-to-big-tech-20260424-p5zqvv.html> / <https://archive.md/t0DR4>

Extremely Low Frequencies

https://computer.rip/2026-05-09-extremely-low-frequencies.html

#HackerNews #ExtremelyLowFrequencies #ComputerScience #Technology #Innovation #SoundWaves

Neat. A DIY CAT scanner that lets you see sound.

"We aren't just looking at a waveform on an oscilloscope anymore. We're looking at physical discs of pressure launching from the speaker cone."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ky7AWh8nd-A

#science #sound #SoundWaves

Good idea: soundwaves that change material stiffness

https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-remotely-reprogram-material-stiffness-implants.html

A team of researchers co-led by the University of California San Diego, University of Michigan, and the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) at Laboratory of Acoustics of Le Mans University has demonstrated a new way to remotely control how a material behaves—using sound. The findings could lead to the development of protective gear, robotic muscles or medical implants that adjust their stiffness on demand.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-68688-7

#soundwaves, #stiffness, #implants

RE: https://scicomm.xyz/@dantheclamman/116196703399022292

How do #animals #aggregate?#Mites can find each other based on #pheromones, while #sight is important for herd-forming #mammals. In #marine #habitats, #hearing plays a major role. D.McAfee et al.(2022) showed that #oyster #larvae react to the #soundscape of a healthy #reef via #statocysts in front of their bodies, thus finding their adult conspecifics for #reefformation. Reef formation can be artificially #stimulated via artificial #soundwaves.
©#StefanFWirth 2026
Ref
https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.14307

For your 'Well, THIS is cool' story of the day - 🎵 The reefs are aliiiiiiive, with the sound of muuuuuuuusic ... 🎵 - or should be, anyway!

This has been successful for other species, especially in coral reefs, & researchers are learning transmitting the sounds of a healthy reef will attract baby #oysters as well - up to 17,000 more per square metre! 🤩

And if you're thinking 'Wait - oysters can hear?' - they talk about that too! 😄

https://phys.org/news/2022-10-sea-soundscapes-summon-thousands-baby.html

#ReefRestoration #Soundwaves #Australia #ReWilding #Habitat #Ecosystem