Contains a foreword by Jens Blauert! This book systematically details the basic principles and applications of head-related transfer function (HRTF) and virtual auditory display (VAD), and reviews the latest developments in the field, especially those from the author's own state-of-the-art research group. Head-Related Transfer Function and Virtual Auditory Display covers binaural hearing and the basic principles, experimental measurements, computation, physical characteristics analyses, filter design, and customization of HRTFs. It also details the principles and applications of VADs, including headphone and loudspeaker-based binaural reproduction, virtual reproduction of stereophonic and multi-channel surround sound, binaural room simulation, rendering systems for dynamic and real-time virtual auditory environments, psychoacoustic evaluation and validation of VADs, and a variety of applications of VADs. This guide provides all the necessary knowledge and latest results for researchers, graduate students, and engineers who work in the field of HRTF and VAD.

Soils and Foundations for Architects and Engineers provides in-depth, yet simplified, information on the more commonly encountered aspects of soils mechanics and foundations. It also redefines and clarifies many frequently misunderstood aspects of soil mechanics and foundations such as the actual failure mode of footing due to excessive vertical or lateral pressure theory and the effect of groundwater.

'Real science can be far stranger than science fiction, and much more satisfying' Will artificial intelligence outsmart us? Is there other intelligent life in the universe? Throughout his extraordinary career, Stephen Hawking expanded our understanding of the universe and unravelled some of its greatest mysteries. Will Artificial Intelligence Outsmart Us? considers the threat of artificial super-intelligence - as well as the likelihood of intelligent life beyond our planet. 'Modest, profound and sometimes very funny' Sunday Times Brief Answers, Big Questions: this stunning paperback series offers electrifying essays from one of the greatest minds of our age, taken from the original text of the No. 1 bestselling Brief Answers to the Big Questions.

The author gives a comprehensive overview of materials and components for noise control and acoustical comfort. Sound absorbers must meet acoustical and architectural requirements, which fibrous or porous material alone can meet. Basics and applications are demonstrated, with representative examples for spatial acoustics, free-field test facilities and canal linings. Acoustic engineers and construction professionals will find some new basic concepts and tools for developments in order to improve acoustical comfort. Interference absorbers, active resonators and micro-perforated absorbers of different materials and designs complete the list of applications.

The second edition of Predicting Outdoor Sound is an up-to-date reference on the propagation of sound close to the ground and its prediction. New content includes comparisons between predictions and data for road traffic, railway and wind turbine noise; descriptions of source characteristics in the HARMONOISE model; propagation over rough seas, parallel low walls, and lattices; outlines of numerical methods; gabion (caged stones) and sonic crystal noise barriers; meteorological effects on noise barrier performance; and the prediction requirements for auralization. The book brings together relevant theories, prediction schemes, and data, thereby providing a basis for determining what model or scheme might be applicable for any situation. It also offers a background on useful analytical approximations and the restrictions, as well as difficulties and limitations associated with engineering prediction schemes. The text should be of considerable interest to researchers in outdoor sound propagation and, more generally, it should provide a comprehensive primer on the topic for lecturers, consultants and students in acoustics and noise control.

This graduate and advanced undergraduate textbook systematically addresses all core topics in physical and engineering acoustics. Written by a well-known textbook author with 39 years of experience performing research, teaching, and mentoring in the field, it is specially designed to provide maximum support for learning. Presentation begins from a foundation that does not assume prior study of acoustics and advanced mathematics. Derivations are rigorous, thoroughly explained, and often innovative. Important concepts are discussed for their physical implications and their implementation. Many of the examples are mini case studies that address systems students will find to be interesting and motivating for continued study. Step-by-step explanations accompany example solutions. They address both the significance of the example and the strategy for approaching it. Wherever techniques arise that might be unfamiliar to the reader, they are explained in full. Volume I contains 186 homework exercises, accompanied by a detailed solutions manual for instructors. This text, along with its companion, Volume II: Applications, provides a knowledge base that will enable the reader to begin undertaking research and to work in core areas of acoustics.

Optical Fiber Sensors: Advanced Techniques and Applications describes the physical principles of, and latest developments in, optical fiber sensors. Providing a fundamental understanding of the design, operation, and practical applications of fiber optic sensing systems, this book: Discusses new and emerging areas of research including photonic crystal fiber sensors, micro- and nanofiber sensing, liquid crystal photonics, acousto-optic effects in fiber, and fiber laser-based sensing Covers well-established areas such as surface plasmon resonance sensors, interferometric fiber sensors, polymer fiber sensors, Bragg gratings in polymer and silica fibers, and distributed fiber sensors Explores humidity sensing applications, smart structure applications, and medical applications, supplying detailed examples of the various fiber optic sensing technologies in use Optical Fiber Sensors: Advanced Techniques and Applications draws upon the extensive academic and industrial experience of its contributing authors to deliver a comprehensive introduction to optical fiber sensors with a strong practical focus suitable for undergraduate and graduate students as well as scientists and engineers working in the field.

This practical guide for managers and engineers in the plastics industry shows how to reduce high noise levels which often occur in the workplace and reduce the risk of noise-induced hearing damage to employees. Practical methods for reducing noise from industrial machinery are described and illustrated with about twenty-five case studies relating to plastics processing machines such as granulators, shredders, extruders and injection moulders. Noise-control techniques include standard noise-control measures: enclosures, silencers and the use of sound insulating, sound-absorbing materials, vibration isolation and damping; and now the use of active noise control methods. Along with fresh case studies this new edition adds chapters on environmental noise, on European Union machinery noise emission regulations, hearing protection, prediction of noise levels, and the design of quieter workplaces.

"Vibro-Acoustics of Lightweight Sandwich Structures" introduces the study of the coupled vibration and acoustic behavior of lightweight sandwich structures in response to harmonic force and sound pressure. This book focuses on the theoretical modeling and experimental investigation of lightweight sandwich structures in order to provide a predictive framework for vibro-acoustic characteristics of typical engineering structures. Furthermore, by developing solution tools, it concentrates on the influence of key systematic parameters leading to effective guidance for optimal structure design toward lightweight, high-stiffness and superior sound insulation capability.

This book is intended for researchers, scientists, engineers and graduate students in mechanical engineering especially in structural mechanics, mechanics and acoustics.

Fengxian Xin and Tianjian Lu both work at the School of Aerospace, Xi an Jiaotong University."

Considerable amount of effort has been devoted, over the recent years, towards the development of electronic skin (e-skin) for many application domains such as prosthetics, robotics, and industrial automation. Electronic Skin: Sensors and Systems focuses on the main components constituting the e-skin system. The e-skin system is based on: i) sensing materials composing the tactile sensor array, ii) the front end electronics for data acquisition and signal conditioning, iii) the embedded processing unit performing tactile data decoding, and iv) the communication interface in charge of transmitting the sensors data for further computing. Technical topics discussed in the book include: * Tactile sensing material; * Electronic Skin systems; * Embedded computing and tactile data decoding; * Communication systems for tactile data transmission; * Relevant applications of e-skin system; The book takes into account not only sensing materials but it also provides a thorough assessment of the current state of the art at system level. The book addresses embedded electronics and tactile data processing and decoding, techniques for low power embedded computing, and the communication interface. Electronic Skin: Sensors and Systems is ideal for researchers, Ph.D. students, academic staff and Masters/research students in sensors/sensing systems, embedded systems, data processing and decoding, and communication systems.

Both the demographics and lack of resources in the health and well-being industry are increasingly forcing us to find alternative solutions for individualized health and social care. In an effort to address this issue, smart technologies present enormous potential in solving this challenge. This book strives to enhance communication and collaboration between technology and health and social care sectors. The reader will receive an extensive overview of the possibilities of various technologies in care sectors (including ICT, electronics, automation, and sensor technology) written by experts from various countries. It will prove extremely useful for engineers developing well-being related systems, software, or other devices that can be used by professionals working with people with specialist needs, well-being and health service providers, educators teaching related courses, and upper level undergraduate students and graduate student studying related topics. The technology focus of the book is widespread and addresses elderly care and hospitals, in addition to solutions for various user groups, devices, and technologies. Beyond serving as a resource for nurses and people working in care sector, the book is also meant to give guidelines for engineers developing person-centered systems by exploring the integration of these technologies into service systems.

This guide to estimating uncertainties in the measurement, prediction and assessment of noise and vibration applies across environmental noise and vibration, occupational noise and vibration exposure, and building and architectural acoustics. The book collates information from the various Standards and from research, with explanation, examples and case studies. It enables estimation of uncertainty in the measurement and prediction of acoustic quantities, suitable for use in environmental impact and occupational exposure assessments. It is for acoustic consultants, mechanical and building service engineers, architect and building professionals and environmental health officers. Bob Peters worked for more than forty years in acoustics and noise control - teaching, research, consultancy. He was a principal acoustic consultant with Applied Acoustic Design, a senior research fellow at London South Bank University, and a tutor on Institute of Acoustics distance learning courses.

This is a textbook on the basic sciences of sound. It contains sufficient latest information on the subject and is divided into four parts that fit into the semester structure.The first part deals with basic Newton's second law of motion, simple harmonic oscillation, and wave properties. Newton's second law, 'the net force is equal to the rate of change of momentum,' is used to derive the speed of waves in a medium. The second part focuses on the psychoacoustics of our perception of three attributes of sound: loudness, pitch and timbre. The third part discusses the basic physics of some musical instruments and human voice. From the point of view of physics, musical instruments and human speech are similar. They are composed of a sound source and a resonator. Human ingenuity has produced various aesthetic-looking and ear-pleasing instruments for musicians to perform. Magical human evolution has also shaped our vocal folds and vocal tract so that we can dynamically change loudness, pitch, and timbre in an instant, in a manner that no other musical instrument can emulate. The fourth part includes electricity and magnetism, room acoustics, digital technology in acoustics, effects of noise on human hearing, and noise regulations for hearing protection that are relevant to sound wave production, transmission, storage, and human ear protection. Our ears are extremely sensitive. Without proper protection, loud noise including loud music can damage our ears. Government regulation and education serve as a first line of protection in working environments.This small book is comprehensible, understandable and enjoyable to all eager students.

The Newnes Know It All Series takes the best of what our authors have written to create hard-working desk references that will be an engineer's first port of call for key information, design techniques and rules of thumb. Guaranteed not to gather dust on a shelf!
Part I Fundamentals of Sound
Chapter 1 Audio Principles
Chapter 2. Measurement
Chapter 3 Acoustic Environment
II. Audio Electronics
Chapter 4 Components
Chapter 5 Power supply design

III Preamplifiers and Amplifiers
Chapter 6 Introduction to Audio Amplification
CHAPTER 7 Preamplifiers and input signals
Chapter 8 Interfacing and processing
Chapter 9 Audio amplifiers
Chapter 10 Audio amplifier
Chapter 11. Valve (tube-based) amplifiers
Chapter 12 Negative feedback
Chapter 13 Noise and grounding
Part IV Digital Audio
Chapter 14 Digital audio fundamentals
Chapter 15 Representation of Audio Signals
Chapter 16.Compact disc
Chapter 17 Digital audio recording basics
Chapter 18 Digital audio interfaces
Chapter 19 Data compression
Chapter 20 Digital audio production
Chapter 21 Other Digital Audio Devices
V. Microphone and Loudspeaker Technology
Chapter 22 Microphone technology
Chapter 23 Loudspeakers
Chapter 24 Loudspeaker enclosures
Chapter 25 Headphones
Part VI. Sound Reproduction Systems
Chapter 26 Tape Recording
Chapter 27 Recording consoles
Chapter 28 Video synchronization
Chapter 29 Room acoustics
Part VII Audio Test and Measurement
CHAPTER 30 Fundamentals and instruments
- A 360-degree view from our best-selling authors
- Hot topics covered
- The ultimate hard-working deskreference; all the essential information, techniques and tricks of the trade in one volume

We're excited to present our 2019 Make: Digital Fabrication Guide! This year we get our hands on maker-ready waterjet cutters with machines from Wazer and Omax. We also review the latest 3D printers, CNC routers, laser cutters, and vinyl cutters. More than 20 tools tested to help you find the best one for your shop or makerspace. Plus, more than 30 DigiFab projects and lessons: Build a robot companion that reacts to the faces of people around you Make Nixie tube-style display with LEDs and acrylic Create a mini Intaglio printing press and create unique artwork and much more.

This book discusses the principles, methodologies, and challenges of robotic musicianship through an in-depth review of the work conducted at the Georgia Tech Center for Music Technology (GTCMT), where the concept was first developed. Robotic musicianship is a relatively new research field that focuses on the design and development of intelligent music-making machines. The motivation behind the field is to develop robots that not only generate music, but also collaborate with humans by listening and responding in an expressive and creative manner. This combination of human and machine creativity has the potential to surprise and inspire us to play, listen, compose, and think about music in new ways. The book provides an in-depth view of the robotic platforms designed at the GTCMT Robotic Musicianship Group, including the improvisational robotic percussionists Haile and Shimon, the personal robotic companion Shimi, and a number of wearable robots, such as the Robotic Drumming Prosthesis, The Third Drumming Arm, and the Skywalker Piano Hand. The book discusses numerous research studies based on these platforms in the context of five main principles: Listen like a Human, Play Like a Machine, Be Social, Watch and Learn, and Wear It.

Noise mapping is the first tool to effectively assess noise exposure, communicating information to citizens, and defining effective action plans for protecting citizens from high noise levels and preserving quiet areas in urban European Community environments. Indeed, strategic noise maps are now required in the European Union for all population centers of more than 250,000 inhabitants, as well as for major roads, railways, and airports, and are becoming required for urban areas with over 100,000 people. Providing a comprehensive reference guide for students, researchers, acoustics consultants, and environmental agencies, Noise Mapping in the EU: Models and Procedures shows how to integrate data with geographical information systems, improve accuracy in model and prediction software, and assess different methods and descriptors for evaluating annoyance and noise exposure. It offers guidance on regulations, communication processes, physical aspects, and application of noise mapping, as well as on communication processes for citizens involved in decision making. Beginning with fundamental concepts in acoustics and a presentation of legal frameworks for noise mapping in Europe, the book covers all the main issues about noise mapping. It presents numerical models for roads, railways, airports, harbours, and industrial sites. The chapters are written by European experts from a range of research institutes, companies, and environmental agencies. Using a practical approach and worked examples, the text discusses control and uncertainty in input data and output results, technical recommendations from working groups, and the Good Practice Guide (GPG) tool. It provides in-depth coverage of geographic information system (GIS) techniques for noise management and the evaluation and management of noise exposure, and concludes by reviewing noise mapping experiences in Europe, communication to the public, and future perspectives for mapping the

Introducing the first, self-contained reference on acoustic waveform logging Acoustic measurements in boreholes were first made as a specialized logging technique in geological exploration, but recent advances have greatly expanded the potential applications of this technique. Acoustic Waves in Boreholes provides a thorough review of the theory and interpretation techniques needed to realize these applications, emphasizing the role of guided modes and critically refracted waves in determining the characteristics of recorded waveforms. Topics covered in this comprehensive volume include the seismic properties of rocks; propagation of axisymmetric waves along fluid-filled boreholes in isotropic rocks; and symmetric and nonsymmetric sources in isotropic, transversely isotropic, and porous, permeable formations in open and cased boreholes. Each chapter includes the theory of synthetic microseismogram computation, interpretation and data inversion techniques illustrated using computed seismograms, and case histories using experimental data. Appendices providing the mathematical formulation needed to compute microseismograms, with a single consistent notation used throughout, are also included in appropriate chapters. The wide range of geomechanical properties covered in this book will interest exploration geophysicists, reservoir engineers, civil engineers, geologists, and soil scientists.

This improved and updated second edition covers the theory, development, and design of electro-acoustic transducers for underwater applications. This highly regarded text discusses the basics of piezoelectric and magnetostrictive transducers that are currently being used as well as promising new designs. It presents the basic acoustics as well as the specific acoustics data needed in transducer design and evaluation. A broad range of designs of projectors and hydrophones are described in detail along with methods of modeling, evaluation, and measurement. Analysis of projector and hydrophone transducer arrays, including the effects of mutual radiation impedance and numerical models for elements and arrays, are also covered. The book includes new advances in transducer design and transducer materials and has been completely reorganized to be suitable for use as a textbook, as well as a reference or handbook. The new edition contains corrections to the first edition, end-of-chapter exercises, and solutions to selected exercises. Each chapter includes a short introduction, end-of-chapter summary, and an extensive reference list offering the reader more detailed information and historical context. A glossary of key terms is also included at the end.

Compliant mechanisms and actuators are growing in importance due to their benefits in robotics, medical technology, sensor applications, or in handling compressible objects. This book helps to understand the mechanical behavior of compliant systems. Suggested classifications and different modeling methods are shown that allow for the description of compliant systems.

Explores the Science and Practice Of Acoustics for Arts Centers Employing the experiences of a world-renowned acoustician celebrated for the successful design of multi-use performing arts centers, Acoustics of Multi-Use Performing Arts Centers examines the complexities of this venue and discusses the challenges and solutions that arise in the concept, design, construction and commissioning phases. This book addresses the various programming needs of a multi-use performing arts center (needs that can range from symphony, opera and ballet to highly-amplified concerts and Broadway productions) and provides instruction from the planning of the initial concept to the final tuning stages. While assuming a basic understanding of the principals of sound, construction and performance, the author includes architectural drawings drawn to scale and presents case studies with in-depth discussion of undocumented halls. He also provides a full chapter on tuning multi-use halls and offers an inside look at design options for adjustable acoustics that include stage, pit and hall design. In addition, the book: Covers the fundamentals of acoustics as it relates to initial stages of multi-use hall design Explores the concepts of acoustics in terms of new and renovated spaces Defines the basic components of the building structure Examines floors, walls, ceilings, shells, and finishes and how they can be designed to achieve acoustic excellence Discusses how to use and tune adjustable acoustic systems in a multi-use hall in order to achieve acoustic excellence Designed as a step-by-step guide to achieving outstanding acoustics in multi-use performance spaces, Acoustics of Multi-Use Performing Arts Centers serves students, architects, engineers, desig

The book presents a state-of-art overview of numerical schemes efficiently solving the acoustic conservation equations (unknowns are acoustic pressure and particle velocity) and the acoustic wave equation (pressure of acoustic potential formulation). Thereby, the different equations model both vibrational- and flow-induced sound generation and its propagation. Latest numerical schemes as higher order finite elements, non-conforming grid techniques, discontinuous Galerkin approaches and boundary element methods are discussed. Main applications will be towards aerospace, rail and automotive industry as well as medical engineering. The team of authors are able to address these topics from the engineering as well as numerical points of view.

Digital Sampling is the first book about the design and use of sampling technologies that have shaped the sounds of popular music since the 1980s. Written in two parts, Digital Sampling begins with an exploration of the Fairlight CMI and how artists like Kate Bush and Peter Gabriel used it to sample the sounds of everyday life. It also focuses on E-mu Systems and the use of its keyboards and drum machines in hip-hop. The second part follows users across a range of musical worlds, including US/UK garage, indie folk music, and electronic music made from the sounds of sewers, war zones, and crematoriums. Using material from interviews and concepts from the field of Science and Technology Studies (STS), Digital Sampling provides a new and alternative approach to the study of sampling and is crucial reading for undergraduates, postgraduates, and researchers from a wide range of disciplines, including music technology, media, communication, and cultural studies.

It is common for us today to associate the practice of science primarily with the act of seeing-with staring at computer screens, analyzing graphs, and presenting images. We may notice that physicians use stethoscopes to listen for disease, that biologists tune into sound recordings to understand birds, or that engineers have created Geiger tellers warning us for radiation through sound. But in the sciences overall, we think, seeing is believing. This open access book explains why, indeed, listening for knowledge plays an ambiguous, if fascinating, role in the sciences. For what purposes have scientists, engineers and physicians listened to the objects of their interest? How did they listen exactly? And why has listening often been contested as a legitimate form of access to scientific knowledge? This concise monograph combines historical and ethnographic evidence about the practices of listening on shop floors, in laboratories, field stations, hospitals, and conference halls, between the 1920s and today. It shows how scientists have used sonic skills-skills required for making, recording, storing, retrieving, and listening to sound-in ensembles: sets of instruments and techniques for particular situations of knowledge making. Yet rather than pleading for the emancipation of hearing at the expense of seeing, this essay investigates when, how, and under which conditions the ear has contributed to science dynamics, either in tandem with or without the eye.

This book gives a brief definition of what constitutes quality and a manufacturing environment and a detailed description of the entities that make up a computer-controlled deterministic manufacturing operation. It is useful for practicing engineer or engineering manager and academician.