Skoda built a bicycle bell that can neutralise noise cancelling headphones
The Skoda DuoBell emits sound at a frequency that can evade the capabilities of noise cancelling headphones to endanger oblivious pedestrians
Auto manufacturer Skoda has revealed a new bicycle bell that’s designed to ensure even pedestrians wearing the best noise cancelling headphones aware of cyclists’ impending presence.
The new DuoBell is designed to “outsmart the algorithms of headphones equipped with active noise cancellation” and combat the 24% increase in collisions between cyclists and pedestrians. With help from researchers at the University of Salford in Manchester, the bell’s sound has been precisely tuned to a frequency noise cancellation can’t fully suppress.
The researchers discovered a narrow frequency band ANC headphones can’t combat, which they called a safety belt. It lies between 750Hz and 780Hz and has been deployed for the sound of the bell, which remains analogue rather than digital.
The DuoBell gets its name from the additional resonator, which is “tuned to a higher frequency, and, thanks to a specially designed hammer mechanism, produces rapid and irregular strikes. This generates sound waves that ANC algorithms are unable to process quickly enough to suppress.”
Overall it buys pedestrians an additional five seconds to get out of the way, enabling them to hear the cyclist coming from up to 22 metres away.
“For Škoda, exploration has always been fundamental. This project is an excellent example of how a simple, yet clever idea can help make exploration safer for everyone,” said Meredith Kelly, Global Head of Marketing at Škoda Auto.
Skoda began its existence 130 years ago by building bicycles – even before it made cars so this is a return to its roots, so to speak.. The company plans to make its findings public, so other bell manufacturers can get in on the action.
Chris Smith
