Honda was implemented an active noise control (ANC) system in two of their new cars: the Odyssey minivan and the Acura RL luxury sedan. The system is designed to reduce the noise inside the passenger cabin that originates from the engine.

Cornell University’s Nanoscale Facility (NSF) have created a silicon cantilever vibrating beams that are 6-10 microns long and can be used to identify the mass of molecules such as viruses and other pathogens.

For more information read the full article on the Cornell University web site.

The Active 2004 conference in Williamsburg, Virginia, USA was once again a fascinating conference. The topics that were covered were very broad that included new types of acoustic sensors, algorithms, fundamental studies in active aerodynamic control systems, psychoacoustics, and many practical installations of active noise control systems.
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Oki Electric Industry Company has released what they claim is the world’s thinnest tri-axial accelerometer that utilizes MEMS technology. The ML8950 detects tri-axis acceleration, inclination and vibration and outputs the signal in a digital format.

Bruel and Kjaer have released a new surface mount microphone (Type 4948) that is only 2.5mm in height. The microphone supports the TEDS identification system.

Read more on the Bruel and Kjaer web site.

Microstrain have released a set of wireless sensors such as tri-axial accelerometers, inclinometers, strain gauges, and thermocouples. The wireless devices have a range of about 30m.

ZF Sachs are selling Continuously Damping Control (CDC) shock absorbers that uses an electronic variable valve to control oil flow. The units were availabe in 2001 on the BMW 7 series as an option, and is now available on the VW Phaeton, and the Opel Astra.

The toy company Mattel has signed a deal with NXT to investigate the use their loudspeaker technologies in their toys. NXT make Distributed Mode loudspeakers, which uses a vibrating plate to generate sound.

Read more on the NXT web site.

MTS and National Instruments have announced a long-term contractual agreement where MTS plan to use National Instruments’ LabVIEW software for their noise and vibration measurement systems. Readers can find out about each company’s long term strategy on the National Instruments and MTS web sites.

Engineers at DaimlerChrylser have tested a vibrating accelerator pedal that warns drivers of impeding traffic congestion at upcoming intersections. The system is linked to a GPS system to determine the location of the car on the road network and a vehicle detection radar determines the proximity of the nearest vehicle in front of the car. Trials with 70 volunteers found that that fuel consumption dropped by 11%.