4 hours ago
https://acoustics.org/developing-a-new-e...cle-sound/
PRESS RELEASE: One of the many benefits of electric vehicles is that they are much quieter than traditional gasoline-powered vehicles. In some cases, though, they are too quiet. Automakers are required to design their vehicles so they emit sounds at low speeds to alert pedestrians to their presence.
However, aside from some basic regulations regarding volume, automakers are free to choose whatever noise they wish their vehicles to emit. This freedom gives researchers a unique opportunity to design custom sounds to maximize their effectiveness.
Graduate student Mei Suzuki will present her team’s efforts to design custom approach sounds for electric vehicles Monday, Dec. 1, at 2:35 p.m. HST as part of the Sixth Joint Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America and Acoustical Society of Japan, running Dec. 1-5 in Honolulu, Hawaii.
“In our research, we aimed to design approach-informing sounds based on onomatopoeia that [are] evoked by the image of a ‘quiet vehicle,’” said Suzuki. “These stimuli included sounds created based on onomatopoeic sounds and pink noise.”
To test their library of created sounds, the team played them to volunteers, both in a studio and in real road conditions. They then asked the volunteers to rate each based on criteria such as “The sound has a sense of urgency” and “The sound is easy to notice.” The noises were then ranked based on this feedback.
They found the best performer was a version of pink noise — a type of noise dominated by lower-frequency notes. “The reason this sound stimulus was rated highest was its strong low-frequency components and its similarity to automotive running noise,” said Suzuki.
This low-frequency noise distribution was less susceptible to being drowned out by other sources of ambient noise, which meant that approaching vehicles could be heard clearly by the volunteers in all conditions. The researchers are planning to introduce similar sounds for electric bicycles, e-scooters, and other small lightweight mobility devices.
“Starting this year, we are conducting research on the sound design of approach warning sounds specifically for micromobility devices,” said Suzuki. “Since research on approach warning sounds for micromobility devices is largely unexplored, we believe this could contribute to reducing collisions involving pedestrians and visually impaired individuals.”
——————— MORE MEETING INFORMATION ——————–
Main Meeting Website: https://acousticalsociety.org/honolulu-2025/
Technical Program: https://eppro02.ativ.me/web/planner.php?id=ASAASJ25
PRESS RELEASE: One of the many benefits of electric vehicles is that they are much quieter than traditional gasoline-powered vehicles. In some cases, though, they are too quiet. Automakers are required to design their vehicles so they emit sounds at low speeds to alert pedestrians to their presence.
However, aside from some basic regulations regarding volume, automakers are free to choose whatever noise they wish their vehicles to emit. This freedom gives researchers a unique opportunity to design custom sounds to maximize their effectiveness.
Graduate student Mei Suzuki will present her team’s efforts to design custom approach sounds for electric vehicles Monday, Dec. 1, at 2:35 p.m. HST as part of the Sixth Joint Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America and Acoustical Society of Japan, running Dec. 1-5 in Honolulu, Hawaii.
“In our research, we aimed to design approach-informing sounds based on onomatopoeia that [are] evoked by the image of a ‘quiet vehicle,’” said Suzuki. “These stimuli included sounds created based on onomatopoeic sounds and pink noise.”
To test their library of created sounds, the team played them to volunteers, both in a studio and in real road conditions. They then asked the volunteers to rate each based on criteria such as “The sound has a sense of urgency” and “The sound is easy to notice.” The noises were then ranked based on this feedback.
They found the best performer was a version of pink noise — a type of noise dominated by lower-frequency notes. “The reason this sound stimulus was rated highest was its strong low-frequency components and its similarity to automotive running noise,” said Suzuki.
This low-frequency noise distribution was less susceptible to being drowned out by other sources of ambient noise, which meant that approaching vehicles could be heard clearly by the volunteers in all conditions. The researchers are planning to introduce similar sounds for electric bicycles, e-scooters, and other small lightweight mobility devices.
“Starting this year, we are conducting research on the sound design of approach warning sounds specifically for micromobility devices,” said Suzuki. “Since research on approach warning sounds for micromobility devices is largely unexplored, we believe this could contribute to reducing collisions involving pedestrians and visually impaired individuals.”
——————— MORE MEETING INFORMATION ——————–
Main Meeting Website: https://acousticalsociety.org/honolulu-2025/
Technical Program: https://eppro02.ativ.me/web/planner.php?id=ASAASJ25