More than just loud bass! Loud or unpleasant driving noises can impair the enjoyment of music in the car. Some sound systems therefore dynamically adjust the volume and bass. However, individual sound preferences are not taken into account. A study from Fraunhofer IDMT in Oldenburg has now investigated the influence of background noise on the personal sound experience while driving – and shows how an adjustment of individual sound preferences once could improve the sound in the vehicle (and beyond)….

Researchers from Stanford and the American University of Beirut have developed a lightweight, portable antenna that can communicate with satellites and devices on the ground, making it easier to coordinate rescue and relief efforts in disaster-prone areas. When an earthquake, flood, or other disaster strikes a region, existing communication infrastructure such as cell phone and radio towers are often damaged or destroyed. Restoring emergency communications as quickly as possible is vital for coordinating rescue and relief efforts. Researchers at Stanford…

The system could be used for battery-free underwater communication across kilometer-scale distances, to aid monitoring of climate and coastal change. MIT researchers have demonstrated the first system for ultra-low-power underwater networking and communication, which can transmit signals across kilometer-scale distances. This technique, which the researchers began developing several years ago, uses about one-millionth the power that existing underwater communication methods use. By expanding their battery-free system’s communication range, the researchers have made the technology more feasible for applications such as…

European team use proprietary ‘SeaFi’ technology to send furthest wireless broadband transmission from ship-to-shore ever achieved without satellite. A team of scientists working off the west coast of Ireland have set a new world record for the furthest broadband transmission from a ship at sea back to land without satellite or cellular connection. The new record is 36.83km (19.9 nautical miles) set on Saturday, 26 May 2023, off the coast of the Aran Islands. The team based at Aran Island Research Station…