Researchers have found using Functional MRI scans that the brain function is altered in patients with Hand-Vibration syndrome compared with a control group. The results were presented at the 63rd Annual Meeting of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand. 18-20 September 18-20, 2008. Chicago, USA.

Read the full article on the Orthosupersite.

A federal appeals court in the USA (9th Circuit Court of Appeals) has rejected the Bush administration request to exempt the US Navy training activities using active sonar from environmental laws. This decision follows from a lower court that set conditions in an effort to protect whales and dolphins from the active sonar.

Read more on the LA times web site.

Sony have released a new type of headphone that has a separate bass ‘duct’, a tube that is inserted into the ear canal, and external speakers for the mid- and high- frequencies. The PFR-V1 headphones will be available for retail sale in the US in April. The reason for doing this is to provide a more natural sound rather than the ‘in the head’ sound from most headphones. Images of the headphones can be viewed on Sony’s Japan web site.

Mitsui Engineering has developed a water tank with multiple actuators that can form a standing wave pattern in the shape of letters.

For the Mitsui press release see here (In Japanese), and for their brochure see here.

A company called AADcontrol have a ‘new’ technology to reduce the vibration of towers on 1MW turbines, called ‘Active Aerodynamic Damping’.

Perpetuum, a UK based company have released a product for energy ‘harvesting’ from vibrating machinery. The PMG7 generator outputs at much as 5 mW at 3.3V from a vibration level of 100 mg.

Another company RLW has used this principle in a wireless vibration condition-monitoring product.

Bruel and Kjaer have released a new instrument called the Human Vibration Analyzer Type 4447.

Bruel and Kjaer, MSC (Material Sciences Corporation), and Link Engineering have built a new testing facility in Canton, Michigan, USA for design and testing of Noise Vibration Harshness issues related to automotive and communications equipment.

Perpetuum have released a device to convert vibration into electricity. The device is capable of generating 5mW of power, which is usually sufficient for powering many wireless transmitters.

See the news release for more information.

Mathematicians at Vanderbilt University have created a mathematical model of the cochlea and use the model to show that the spiral shape acts to enhance the low frequency sounds. The researchers led by Daphne Manoussaki and her colleagues, Richard Chadwick and Emilios Dimitriadis of the National Institutes of Health, published their findings in the journal Physical Review Letters.
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Ling Electronics, which make vibration shakers, have been bought by QualMark.

Read the press release on the QualMark web site.