Silent box

Ce qu'il fait

Silent box is a modern device for active noise canceling that works where traditional methods fail. Simply place it by the window to eliminate the annoying noise of the city – without dust, renovations or high costs.

Votre source d'inspiration

In today's world, we are constantly bombarded with stimuli – sounds, images, information. While many of these are useful, their excess increasingly leads to overstimulation. This problem particularly affects older people and those on the autism spectrum. It is their stories, as well as our own experiences of daily noise fatigue, that inspired us to take action. Our goal is to restore silence in the urban hustle and bustle that surrounds us. We want our technology to not only improve the quality of life, but also support mental health. We believe that everyone deserves a moment of silence.

Comment ça marche

Silent box works on the principle of active noise reduction. It is a technology that actively suppresses sound by emitting a sound with the opposite phase to the one we hear from outside. A microphone listens to sounds coming from outside, and a microcontroller analyses these sounds in real time. Based on the analysis, the device generates a sound with the opposite phase – one that, when mixed with the noise, causes them to ‘cancel’ each other out. This sound is played through the speaker. As a result, significantly less noise reaches the inside of the room. What does the Silent Box consist of? STM32 microcontroller - a very fast electronic component that analyses sound and controls the operation of the entire system. Microphone - detects noise from outside. Amplifier - amplifies the signal reaching the speaker Speaker - reproduces sound that ‘neutralises’ noise. Case - its compact size allows the device to be placed on almost any windowsill.

Processus de conception

Our mission is to improve the quality of life in today's overstimulated world. We started with simple experiments using computers with the Windows operating system, which unfortunately proved ineffective due to excessive delays, which in the case of active noise reduction prevent it from working properly. The next attempt was to switch to the Linux operating system, on which the compact Raspberry Pi computer is based, but this unfortunately proved to be a dead end, because despite such a fast system, the delays were too high. After two unsuccessful attempts to use simple solutions, we decided to use a more difficult to implement component, the STM32 microcontroller. The first step in this implementation was to play sound using the microcontroller, which initially caused us many problems, but after overcoming the difficulties, it was possible to move on to the next stage, which was reading the signal from the microphone. After successfully completing the above-mentioned stages, the only thing left to do was to create an algorithm that would play sound in opposite phase, designed to mute the sounds coming from outside the window. The last stage was to design a compact housing, made using 3D printing technology.

En quoi est-il différent ?

Silent box is a unique device, as there is no equivalent on the market. Traditional methods of soundproofing rooms involve noise, mess and high costs, whereas Silent box allows you to avoid all of that. What's more, its installation is non-invasive, which is particularly important for people renting flats. The technology used in our device is similar to that used in active noise-cancelling headphones – it cuts the user off from outside noise, allowing them to focus on music, for example. However, our solution has a significant advantage: the user hears all the sounds in the room, and only the sounds coming from outside the building are muted. This makes it possible to freely talk, rest, study or calm down before bedtime without isolating yourself from your home environment.

Plans pour l'avenir

Our plan for the future is to continue developing the prototype, file a patent application, and launch it on the market at an attractive price. We also plan to use artificial neural networks to improve performance. We believe that technology should be accessible not only to the wealthiest, but also to those who need it most. We want to increase the effectiveness of the system, expand its application, and ensure that in the future, Silent Box can truly improve the quality of life for many people around the world.

Récompenses