Cymatics as a Tool for Noise Reduction in an Urban External Environment

Mimi Hearing Technologies in conjunction with the World Health Organisation and SINTEF developed a World Hearing Index that showcased high levels of noise pollution and hearing loss in Delhi- NCR. Recurrent exposure to high levels of noise lead to annoyance, difficulty in concentrating, sleep disturbances, increasing hypertension and cardiovascular disease, impaired cognitive performance in children and may even interfere with normal activities. Municipal authorities have implemented noise barriers to mitigate external noise pollution; however, their efficacy is only up to 3 Db to 5 Db. They also disregard the visual connection completely. Thus, the greatest challenge in an external environment is to reduce the noise levels and maintain visual connectivity to ensure safety. The question that emerged was whether a solution can be derived from the problem itself i.e. could the diffuser be derived from the sound wave itself. Thus, the research aimed to investigate the possible application of Cymatics in reducing the frequency in external spaces, thereby reducing noise to levels that are considered safe for humans. Factored by quadratic diffusers the 3-Dimensional forms were created using Cymatic shapes, were assessed for the purpose of barricades to reduce the noise levels.