Audio Forensics: A Brief Survey and Personal Perspective
Friday, February 1, 2019
4:00 p.m. in ETC 2.136
Steven D. Beck
Beck Audio Forensics
Austin, Texas
http://www.beckaudioforensics.com/
Audio forensics is the field of forensic science relating to the acquisition, analysis, and evaluation of sound recordings that may be used as evidence in a court of law. In addition to properly handling evidence, an Audio Forensics Expert must be able to answer specific questions related to the acoustics and audio sources involved in a crime scene and justify those answers with a reasonable degree of scientific certainty. Some of the basics steps in an investigation involving audio analysis will be described. A short history of some of the main application areas (authentication, earwitness and psychoacoustics, audio quality, voice, and gunshot analysis) will be presented, along with a discussion of applicable acoustics and signal processing techniques. A couple of scientifically controlled audio data collections that have proven important for understanding acoustic phenomena and measurable features useful in forensic analysis will be described. Finally, a number of “famous” audio forensics cases from the FBI and the presenter’s work will be briefly presented.
Aeroacoustic and Aerodynamic Performance of Small Scale Co-rotating Rotors in Hover
Friday, February 8, 2019
4:00 p.m. in ETC 2.136
Dr. Charles Tinney
Applied Research Laboratories
The University of Texas at Austin
http://www.arlut.utexas.edu/
We discuss findings from a test campaign aimed at understanding the aerodynamic and aeroacoustic performance of stacked co-rotating rotors in hover. The work is supported through a cooperative research agreement with Uber Elevate, the US Army Research Laboratories, and UT-Austin to develop the first generation of low-noise urban air mobility ride-sharing services. Various operating conditions of the rotor are considered and comprise angular clock position of the upper rotor relative to the lower rotor, stacking distance, and rotor speed. Both upper and lower rotors comprise the same shape and rotate at the same speed. Measurements of axial thrust are acquired alongside surveys of the near-field acoustics at eight observer positions above and below the tip path plane of the upper rotor. Standard metrics like thrust coefficient, sound pressure level, and the overall sound pressure level of the various blade harmonics and subharmonics are studied. Human ear effects are also considered using the A-weighting standard, which is shown to have a profound influence on the perceived noise levels. The overall findings demonstrate the trade space between the aerodynamic performance of a stacked co-rotating rotor and its perceived noise under various operating conditions in hover.
A Systematic Approach for Engineering the Dispersive Behavior of Periodic Media
Friday, February 15, 2019
4:00 p.m. in ETC 2.136
Heedong Goh
Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering
The University of Texas at Austin
We are concerned with engineering the dispersion relation of a periodic medium as a means of controlling wave propagation. Specifically, we propose a systematic procedure to design the unit cell of a periodic medium to achieve a desired dispersive behavior, when, for example, a user-specified band gap or, alternatively, a target group-velocity profile is defined. To describe the unit-cell design procedure, we use an inverse medium problem framework: we define a Lagrangian, consisting of an objective functional and the side-imposition of the underlying wave problem, where the latter is cast in terms of the Bloch eigenvalue problem. Then, the challenge is to define an appropriate objective functional so that it uniquely characterizes the desired dispersive behavior, and drives efficiently the design problem. In this presentation, we introduce two candidates for the objective functional: the discriminant of the eigenvalue problem and, alternatively, a misfit functional informed by a target group-velocity profile. Both functionals are real-valued and differentiable, and thus allow the use of a gradient-based procedure for arriving at the unit-cell design. The proposed methodology can accommodate both topology and material design variables, or even discrete mass-spring-damper assemblies suitable for resonator designs. The methodology is demonstrated using scalar waves, yet it is generalizable to the vector case, since the associated eigenvalue problem is Hermitian. We demonstrate numerically, using time-domain simulations, the performance of various periodic structures with engineered dispersive behavior.
Non-reciprocal Acoustics Based on Space-time Modulation
Friday, February 22, 2019
4:00 p.m. in ETC 2.136
Dr. Chen Shen
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Duke University
https://ece.duke.edu/
Acoustic metamaterials with spatially dependent properties have revolutionized the way for acoustic wave manipulations. Here we show that time modulation, where the material properties are dependent on time, adds a new degree of freedom for wave-matter interaction and opens unprecedented possibilities. Non-reciprocal propagation, one of the most interesting and significant opportunities offered by space-time modulation, is discussed. We start from a continuous model where acoustic waves propagate in a space-time modulated medium. A discretized model with cascaded side-loaded Helmholtz resonators in a waveguide system is then introduced. Analytic approaches are developed based on these models. The design strategy is discussed and the results are verified by finite-difference time-domain simulations. The non-reciprocal effect is also analyzed in a coupled resonator system where the resonance frequencies are dynamically modulated. Some experimental aspects will be discussed at the end of this talk.
Graduate Student Research Exposition
Friday, March 1, 2019
4:00 p.m. in ETC 2.136
John M. Cormack, Benjamin M. Goldsberry, and Gabriel R. Venegas
Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Research Laboratories
The University of Texas at Austin
http://www.arlut.utexas.edu/
Three current Acoustics Program graduate students present overviews of their dissertation research:
John M. Cormack Soft viscoelastic materials such as rubber and soft tissue exhibit low shear wave speeds, facilitating the generation of shear waves with large acoustic Mach numbers. Here, a one-dimensional shear wave resonator formed from a nonlinear material that exhibits stress relaxation is analyzed. The nonlinear wave equation is reduced to an augmented form of the Duffing equation, from which an analytical implicit expression for the amplitude-dependent frequency response of the resonator is obtained.
Benjamin M. Goldsberry Finite elements are used to simulate elastic wave propagation in a metamaterial. In particular, an example metamaterial structure will be shown whose dispersion properties can be tuned with an externally-applied pre-strain. Non-reciprocal wave propagation can be induced in this metamaterial by modulating the external pre-strain in space and time. Results that demonstrate the applications will be shown.
Gabriel R. Venegas Reflectivity from the ocean bottom is critically important to naval operations, particularly in a shallow water waveguide. Dynamic oceanographic processes, both physical and biological, can significantly alter the reflectivity from marine sediment, yet are largely unaccounted for in acoustic propagation modeling. A laboratory experiment was conducted at high frequencies and modeled at lower frequencies to demonstrate and quantify the change in reflectivity associated with salt diffusing into the seabed from an upwelling or salt wedge.
A Yearlong Record of Sound Propagation from the Canada Basin to the Chukchi Shelf
Friday, March 8, 2019
4:00 p.m. in ETC 2.136
Dr. Megan S. Ballard and Dr. Jason D. Sagers
Applied Research Laboratories
The University of Texas at Austin
http://www.arlut.utexas.edu/
The Pacific Arctic Region has experienced decadal changes in atmospheric conditions, seasonal sea-ice coverage, and thermohaline structure. From September 2016 to October 2017, the Canada Basin Acoustic Propagation Experiment (CANAPE) was conducted to observe the changing soundscape and to explore the use of acoustic remote sensing techniques in the transitioning Arctic. During the experiment, low-frequency signals from five tomographic sources located in the Canada Basin were recorded by an array of hydrophones with both horizontal and vertical apertures located on the Chukchi Shelf at the 150 m isobath. The propagation distances ranged from 240 km to 520 km, and the propagation conditions changed from persistently ducted in the basin to seasonally upward refracting on the continental shelf. An analysis of the received level from the tomography sources revealed a spatial dependence in the onset of the seasonal increase in transmission loss, which was correlated with the locations of the sources in the basin. This observation led to the hypothesis that the water advected from Barrow Canyon westward over the continental slope by the Chukchi slope current contributes to the temporal and spatial dependence observed in the acoustic record. The water column properties and ice draft were measured by oceanographic sensors on the basin tomography moorings and by six vertical arrays of oceanographic moorings on the continental shelf to characterize the temporal and spatial variability of the environment. This talk examines the range-dependent measurements and seeks to explain the observed variability in the received signals through propagation modeling.
The University of Texas at Austin and the Acoustical Society of America: Over Sixty Years of Association
Friday, April 5, 2019
4:00 p.m. in ETC 2.136
Dr. Marcia J. Isakson
Research Scientist
IR&D Strategic Programs Director
Applied Research Laboratories
The University of Texas at Austin
https://www.arlut.utexas.edu/
The purpose of the Acoustical Society of America (ASA) is “to generate, disseminate and promote the knowledge and practical applications of acoustics.” Since the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) has a strong interest in acoustics through both its graduate acoustics program and the Applied Research Laboratories, the two organizations are natural partners. In fact, five ASA presidents and four vice-presidents have come from UT Austin. In my tenure as ASA President and on the executive council (2012-2019), the ASA went through its first and second strategic plans. In this presentation, I will trace some of the history of UT Austin and the ASA, outline opportunities for students at the ASA, and discuss the impact of the first strategic plan. I will end with a look at the ASA of the future and what challenges and opportunities it will face as a scientific society in a digital age.
Nanoscale Acoustofluidics
Wednesday, April 10, 2019
4:00 p.m. in EER 3.646
Professor James R. Friend
Center for Medical Devices and Instrumentation
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
University of California, San Diego
http://friend.ucsd.edu/
Acoustic waves have found new utility in microfluidics in recent years, providing an enormously powerful ability to manipulate fluids and suspended particles in open and closed fluid systems. In this talk, we discuss fundamental and powerful concepts of acoustic wave generation and propagation with exploration of new phenomena observed at the nano-scale. Particle deagglomeration, fluid pumping, pattern formation, surface deposition modification, and other curious physical phenomena will be shown in the context of potentially useful applications. Along the way, the fascinating underlying physics tying together the acoustics, fluid dynamics, and broader physical phenomena appearing in these systems will be described.
Acoustic Characterization of Seagrass Tissue
Friday, April 12, 2019
4:00 p.m. in ETC 2.136
Jay R. Johnson
Applied Research Laboratories
The University of Texas at Austin
https://www.arlut.utexas.edu/
Seagrasses are a vital part of the coastal ecosystem; they serve as a habitat for fish, stabilize the seabed, are significant primary producers, and act as efficient carbon sinks. Unfortunately, their presence can greatly inhibit sonar and communications systems performance. Seagrasses are a complex multi-phase material, and an effective model for connecting acoustic propagation through seagrass meadows to internal or external characteristics of the seagrass could be inverted for ecological applications or used to optimize military application. Toward that end, the material properties of the endemic Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica and Cymodocea nodosa were investigated with low (1–10 kHz) and high (1–5 MHz) frequency acoustic measurements. These experiments help us understand and quantify the variability in acoustic response at three length scales: across different species, within a species, and within individual plants. Acoustic data will be compared to both macroscopic and microscopic imaging data of leaf and rhizome tissue to correlate acoustic responses to tissue morphology.
Mitigation of Highway Traffic Noise with “Quieter” Pavements
Friday, April 19, 2019
4:00 p.m. in ETC 2.136
Dr. Manuel Trevino
Center for Transportation Research
The University of Texas at Austin
https://ctr.utexas.edu/
Noise associated with highway transportation has progressively become a nuisance to communities along roads. As transportation of people and goods continues to grow, roads expand, and noise levels rise. Nowadays, transportation agencies have become more environmentally sensitive and deal with pollution problems including noise. A number of factors affect the level of traffic noise, such as traffic volume, vehicle speed, terrain, grade, pavement surface characteristics, and shielding provided by walls, fences, buildings, or even dense vegetation. The most frequently used noise abatement measure has been the construction of noise barriers on the side of the road. The barriers, however, are only effective for receivers in the acoustic shadow of the wall. Other receivers are affected as much as they are without the barrier. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in designing and constructing quieter pavements as a way to abate traffic noise by reducing noise at the source. By modifying some of its properties, pavements have been shown to produce lower noise levels than the “average” pavements. The benefits are lower noise levels perceived at adjacent neighborhoods that had been affected by highway noise, as well as lower noise levels perceived by the driving public, by reducing the annoyance inflicted to the drivers inside their vehicles. The Austin District of the Texas Department of Transportation has been at the forefront of quieter pavement technology, research and implementation with the development of new quieter thin overlay mixes.
Microtechnology-Enabled Ultrasonics
Thursday, August 1, 2019
10:00 a.m. in EER 3.646
Professor Eun Sok Kim
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
University of Southern California
https://viterbi.usc.edu/directory/faculty/Kim/Eun-Sok
When microtechnology is used for generating and detecting sound waves, some remarkable innovations in ultrasonics are enabled. This presentation describes micromachined self-focusing acoustic transducers (SFATs) for droplet ejection, cancer therapeutics, neural stimulation, and cell tweezing. All these transducers are powered by a piezoelectric substrate, and heat generation is negligibly small. First, SFATs with electrically tunable focal length, focal size, focal point, and body-force direction will be described with droplet ejections as a demonstration vehicle, followed by some applications of the nozzle-free and heatless droplet ejections. Then SFATs applied to killing cancerous cells without damaging normal cells will be described. Monolayers of various cancerous and benign cells were grown over a parylene membrane of a microfabricated culture chamber that was integrated with an SFAT. With the SFAT delivering focused ultrasound to the cells, we obtained a cancer-specific focused cytolysis by direct body force effects alone. Thirdly, our on-going research on non-thermal, ultrasonic neural stimulation with radiant pressure produced by an SFAT will be described, with SFAT enabling in vivoimplantation as well as patch clamp experiments. Finally, the talk will present a multi-foci SFAT that produces negative axial radiation force capable of capturing and holding one or more microparticles over a 3-dimensional space, similar to optical tweezers but with required power/heat density orders of magnitude less than optical tweezers. A single acoustic tweezers will be shown, with video clips, to be capable of trapping, holding (steadily) and rotating (on demand) a large and heavy particle such as a late-stage zebrafish embryo at its 24–36 hours post fertilization (0.7–1 mm in diameter and 1.3–1.5 mg in weight).
The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of the JFK Assassination
Friday, August 30, 2019
3:30 p.m. in ETC 2.136
Professor Dennis McFadden
Department of Psychology
The University of Texas at Austin
https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/cps/faculty/dm8797
This is a talk about both US history and applied science. In 1978, the US House Committee on Assassinations conducted a partial re-enactment of the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas. The goal was to measure the acoustics existing at various locations around Dealey Plaza in response to rifle shots from the 6th floor window of the building housing the Texas Book Depository and from behind the fence on the grassy knoll. The primary reason for the partial re-enactment was to determine whether the echo patterns measured in the plaza matched a pattern of sounds inadvertently recorded on a Dictabelt monitoring a radio channel used by the Dallas police department for voice communication on the day of the assassination. Eventually, the recorded sounds were shown not to have been recorded in Dealey Plaza, but for a time they seemed to support the idea of there having been a second assassin firing from in front of the presidential limousine. I was part of a team responsible for making psychoacoustical observations from various locations around the plaza during the re-enactment rifle shots. The history of the Dictabelt, the procedures used to make the real-world measurements and observations, the complications associated with making such real-world measurements, and the eventual determination of how the Dictabelt sounds could not have been from Dealey Plaza all will be discussed. No evidence supporting any of the common alternative theories of the assassination was obtained. The exercise stands as an excellent example of the difficulties and uncertainties of doing science in real-world settings.
Effects of Flora and Fauna on Underwater Acoustic Propagation Near and Within the Seabed
Friday, September 13, 2019
4:00 p.m. in ETC 2.136
Dr. Kevin M. Lee
Applied Research Laboratories
The University of Texas at Austin
http://www.arlut.utexas.edu/
Acoustic propagation near and within the seabed is sensitive to the presence of biological organisms, which occur in great abundance in the world’s bodies of water. In this talk we will discuss two case studies: how seagrass and photosynthesis affect acoustic propagation in shallow water, and how infauna, animals that dwell in the seabed, can lead to variability in geoacoustic properties. Like terrestrial plants, seagrass produces oxygen via photosynthesis. In addition to gas volumes within the seagrass, bubbles are introduced into the water as oxygen diffuses through the plant tissue, leading to dispersion, absorption, and scattering of sound. Because the oxygen production cycle is largely driven by sunlight, these acoustical effects have a diurnal dependence. In the seabed, infauna influence sediment physical parameters, such as porosity, grain size, and pore fluid properties, through burrowing and structuring activities, such as tube building. The resultant sediment inhomogeneity can lead to variability in sediment sound speed and attenuation as well as deviation from what is predicted by sediment acoustics models. Implications of these acoustical effects for the use of sonar for object detection and ecological sensing will be discussed.
How to Predict Aeroacoustic Installation Effects in Distributed Electric Propulsion Systems?
Friday, September 20, 2019
4:00 p.m. in ETC 2.136
Professor Christophe Schram
von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics
Brussels, Belgium
https://www.vki.ac.be/index.php/departments/ea-department-other-menu-68/people-other-menu-70/260-faculty/351-professor-jean-marie-buchlin-4
Significant aero-propulsive benefits are foreseen with the advent of novel Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP) aircraft architectures. DEP systems offer interesting perspectives for noise reduction, as long as the noise resulting from the numerous unsteady aerodynamic and acoustic interactions between the propulsors and the airframe do not overcompensate for the gains obtained from increased aero-propulsive efficiency. The von Karman Institute has been developing over the past decade a Python-based prediction code named BATMANπ (Broadband And Tonal Models for Airfoil Noise) that is well suited to the prediction of aeroacoustic installation effects in DEP configurations. The solver is based on semi-analytical models for trailing-edge noise and wake interaction noise. Acoustic shielding effects are obtained by coupling BATMANπ with finite element or boundary element numerical acoustic solvers. After a literature review, the theoretical background related to the semi-analytical prediction of propeller self-noise, wake and turbulence interaction noise will be briefly reviewed and illustrated through several examples. A discussion will follow on the antagonistic effects associated with a tighter integration of the DEP system with the airframe, in principle beneficial to the aero-propulsive efficiency, but–in principle–detrimental to noise emissions. Perspectives of future research will be suggested in view of the deployment of DEP systems in conventional tube-and-wing aircraft architectures as well as novel personal air vehicle concepts.
Noise Control Engineering on an LNG Liquefaction Engineering, Procurement, and Construction Project
Friday, September 27, 2019
4:00 p.m. in ETC 2.136
Neil J. Woodson
McDermott International, Inc.
Houston, Texas
http://www.mcdermott.com/
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) has historically been an imported commodity for the United States. Improvements of gas extraction technology have set up the U.S. to become a net exporter of LNG. Many LNG regasification (import) facilities in the U.S. are being converted into liquefaction (export) facilities on the U.S. coast. The liquefaction process requires many pieces of large and noisy equipment, as compared to any regasification process. As these facilities are often located near residential areas, operators must comply with appropriate noise regulations at federal, state, local levels. This presentation illustrates the noise control activities and procedures associated with a hypothetical liquefaction engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) project.
Vibrating Matter: On Soundproofing, Airport Noise, and Easy Listening
Friday, October 4, 2019
4:00 p.m. in ETC 2.136
Professor Marina L. Peterson
Department of Anthropology
The University of Texas at Austin
https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/anthropology/faculty/mp5899
Vibrating Matter explores how noise brings into being emergent materialities while newly shaping listening spaces. In the 1960s, jet noise disrupted the continuity between indoors and out made possible by the pacific climate of southern California. In response, residential soundproofing turned urban life inward, closing holes in homes and fortifying an otherwise permeable skin. This was also the era of a cultivation of a new kind of listening, in which hi-fidelity audio technologies oriented people toward recorded sound and away from environmental sound – and noise. While the aim was to diminish the sensorial effects of unwanted entanglements, here I address how soundproofing makes evident the resonance of matter, “lively sound” animating the matter of walls and windows, the atmospheric materialized in the membrane of the home.
Quasi-periodic Structures: Higher Order Symmetries and Vibration Localization
Friday, October 18, 2019
12:00 p.m. in ETC 3.108
Professor Massimo Ruzzene
Department of Mechanical Engineering
University of Colorado Boulder
https://www.colorado.edu/mechanical/massimo-ruzzene
Periodic structures have drawn much attention within the engineering and physics communities due to their unique wave properties and their numerous applications in passive vibration and noise control. Some periodic arrangements also feature topological properties that lead to wave modes that are localized at the edges of a domain or at the interface between two distinct domains. From the geometric point of view, periodic systems can be considered as particular types of assemblies that belong to a much broader class that is defined by quasi-periodicity. Quasiperiodic assemblies generally lack translational symmetry, but can be generated by the projection in lower dimensions of geometries that are periodic in a higher dimensional space. The resulting arrangements have higher-order rotational symmetries and are characterized by unique dynamic characteristics. In this context, quasiperiodic elastic structures are investigated in order to identify localized vibration modes in one- and two-dimensional components. The presented results show that the quasi-periodicity framework provides a methodology that leads to localized modes at locations that can be consistently predicted and that are not limited to interfaces or edges. The presentation illustrates methodologies to generate quasi-periodic geometries, and their implementation as part of elastic beams and plates with quasi-periodic arrays of mass and elastic inclusions. The investigation of these structural components illustrates the occurrence of a variety of localized modes in configurations that are suitable for the experimental characterization of the waveguiding behavior of these novel structural components.
Sound Produced by Wave Packets in the Near Field of Supersonic Jets
Friday, October 25, 2019
4:00 p.m. in ETC 2.136
Dr. Charles E. Tinney
Applied Research Laboratories
The University of Texas at Austin
https://faculty.engr.utexas.edu/tinney/home
High frame rate schlieren images of the sound field are captured at three unique axial stations in the hydrodynamic periphery of a Mach 3 jet where the growth, saturation and decay envelope of the sound production region resides. Proper orthogonal decomposition of data at each station using a spectral based kernel identifies the most energetic POD modes associated with the first few harmonic (frequency) modes. POD modes from overlapping windows are stitched together and extrapolated by applying selective deconvolution to the spatial POD eigenvectors. Extrapolated eigenvectors are then used to predict the far-field sound using the one-dimensional wave equation following what is customarily done in a wave packet analysis. The analysis aims to understand the various mode constituents that make up the acoustic field from a jet with supersonic convecting acoustic Mach numbers. This is achieved by introducing a new method for predicting the far-field noise from schlieren images of the near-field acoustics.
Engineering a Quieter Leafblower
Friday, November 1, 2019
4:00 p.m. in ETC 2.136
David A. Nelson
Nelson Acoustics
Elgin, Texas
https://nelsonacoustical.com/
In 2016 Blount International set out to develop a new battery-powered leaf blower (Oregon BL120VX) that would deliver blowing force and air volume similar to legacy two-stroke products while attaining best-in-class sound quality. Early prototypes did not deliver the desired acoustic performance, but intensive effort during a brief site visit led to expectations being satisfied. We’ll discuss obstacles to public acceptance of leaf blowers, typical levels and the current industry standard (65 dBA at 50 feet), interpreting data from a (very) impromptu test range, sound quality characterization of competitive blowers, breakdown of the noise sources and paths, and stepwise application of the noise control modifications. Blount’s level of motivation was exceptional as evidenced by the willingness to rapidly implement proposed design changes and to retain them through to the finished product he successful end result (59 dBA at 50 feet) is a fitting reward for resisting the fatalistic narrative that quiet equipment must be heavy, feeble, clumsy, marginally effective, and/or over-priced
Speech Clarity, Word Recognition and Listening Effort
Friday, November 8, 2019
4:00 p.m. in ETC 2.136
Professor Rajka Smiljanic
Department of Linguistics
The University of Texas at Austin
https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/linguistics/faculty/rs6634
Understanding speech is implicit and automatic in favorable listening conditions. However, everyday conversation frequently includes challenges to the clarity of the speech signal, such as background noise, interlocutors who are not native speakers of the target language, or hearing loss. Under these circumstances, extracting meaning from a degraded or ambiguous acoustic signal is compromised and cognitively more demanding. The increased listening effort depletes cognitive resources which can interfere with subsequent processing such as comprehension and memory for what has been heard. In this talk, I discuss a series of experiments from my lab that explore signal-dependent and signal-independent sources of information that affect speech perception and cognitive functioning. The results contribute evidence that listener-oriented speaking style modifications facilitate speech recognition in noise and auditory memory for native and non-native listeners. The results suggest that more cognitive resources remain available for linguistic and cognitive processes during perception of easier-to-understand, clearly produced speech. This research has implications for improving communicative effectiveness for various talker and listener groups and human-machine interactions.
From Research to Revenue and From Technology to Product: Development and Commercialization of an Underwater Noise Mitigation Effort
Friday, November 15, 2019
4:00 p.m. in ETC 2.136
Dr. Mark S. Wochner
AdBm Corp
Austin, Texas
https://adbmtech.com/wp/
Taking university-based research and turning it into a viable product can be very challenging, but it is made easier with an understanding of the many steps in the process. This presentation will cover the research and development of an underwater noise mitigation system at The University of Texas at Austin’s Applied Research Laboratories, the many aspects of the commercialization of this technology, and the challenges met along the way. The noise mitigation system uses arrays of Helmholtz resonators which can be tuned to optimally reduce radiated noise from various sources such as pile driving, ships, explosions, and airguns. The current application of the system is pile driving noise produced during the installation of offshore wind turbine foundations, which has a considerable amount of energy in the 100 Hz to 1 kHz range, but also has high frequency components. The development of this technology into a product from early research, through a full-scale demonstration, and into the first commercial project will be covered. Also discussed are the many other aspects of product development which do not often get as much attention such as licensing, intellectual property, company formation, and raising capital, which can be at least as challenging as the creation of a good technology.