The noise of Walkman

1997/01/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Ingeniaritza

Walking down the street, young people, or less young, are often seen with their walkman sounding music. However, the French Ministry of Labour, aware of the hearing damage caused by these devices when they are at their peak, has put limits on manufacturers. The devices can have a maximum intensity level of 100 decibels and those that exceed that level will not be admitted.

To detect too noisy devices, a laboratory robot called Arthur has been enabled. It has cost 8,750,000 pesetas or 350,000 pounds and contains parts similar to the human ear. It has small, high-precision microphones, which send sound signals to the measuring bank.

The sound intensity of the Walkman is usually 100 dB maximum, but it is also those that reach 129 dB, that is, almost the level of breaking of the eardrum.