Wednesday, October 17, 2012

For The Love Of Acoustics

There has been a fascination with the science of acoustics for a very long time.

When humans first used reeds from which to make flutes, for example, they realised that acoustics could add a new and pleasurable dimension to life that led to the development of musical instruments.

In the scientific world, imaginative thinkers such as Leonardo da Vinci made great strides forward within the field of underwater acoustics. In the late 15th century he wrote "If you cause your ship to stop and place the head of a long tube in the water and place the outer extremity to your ear, you will hear ships at a great distance from you." (More on this here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underwater_acoustics)

In today's world, the fascination of acoustics continues. Here are some examples:

PAS-60 acoustic cleaner
  • Acoustic cleaning - here at Primasonics we are proud to have developed the world's most powerful acoustic cleaner, the PAS-60. Read about it here
  • Thermoacoustics - where sound waves are used to create a thermal gradient and effectively a means of refrigeration. Check out this YouTube video of a thermoacoustic refrigerator 
  • Acoustic Levitation - using a transducer and reflector, sound waves can suspend objects in midair. There's some good reading matter on how acoustic levitation works including this page.

Consider the 4 different types of 'acoustic' science mentioned above (underwater acoustics, acoustic cleaning, thermoacoustics, acoustic levitation) and it is clear that this is an area of science with enormous potential still yet to be discovered. We live in exciting times!

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