Asahi Breweries Ltd. and audio equipment maker TOA Corp. said Monday they have developed low frequency noise-reduction equipment that costs 90 percent less than conventional solutions and takes up far less space.
They plan to commercialize the technology, which alleviates headaches and insomnia caused by low-frequency noise, within two years, Asahi Breweries said.
The new approach releases sound that neutralizes low-frequency noise just like conventional techniques. The major difference is that the new equipment comes as one unit with a built-in microphone, speaker and central processing unit.
In contrast, existing technologies require numerous speakers that take up floor space, a major impediment to popularizing low frequency sound-neutralizing devices.
Asahi Breweries said it and TOA are planning to sell the gear for less than 200,000 yen.
"The new equipment might be used to fight noise coming from not only industrial machinery but also home appliances," an Asahi Breweries official said.
In conducting the joint research and development, the beer maker's contribution came at its Engineering & Technology Development Laboratory, which was set up in Ibaraki Prefecture in 2001 to diversity into R&D related to food, health and the environment.
The lab developed algorithms for combating annoying sounds such as those from factories and construction sites.
TOA contributed its expertise in manufacturing audio equipment.