Daddy Dee Posted December 1, 2005 Share Posted December 1, 2005 Well, now there's a bright to HF hearing loss. --------------------------- Rowdy teens beware: the Mosquito is coming Email this Story Dec 1, 11:11 AM (ET) LONDON (Reuters) - A Welsh inventor claims to have found the perfect solution to rowdy youngsters -- noise. Howard Stapleton says his device, the "Mosquito," emits an uncomfortable high-pitched ultrasonic sound that can be heard by children and teenagers but almost no one over 30. It has successfully driven away noisy teens from a grocery store in the Welsh town of Barry and a shop in Stapleton's home town Merthyr Tydfil, making smoking, lounging and foul-mouthed youths a thing of the past. The ability to hear high frequencies deteriorates with age, but some adults might still be able to hear the Mosquito. No one except young troublemakers appears annoyed, however. "All I'm getting is pats on the back," Stapleton told Reuters. "No bricks thrown at me yet." He said teenagers he had talked to welcomed the device too, because they used to be intimidated by gangs hanging around the shops. The Mosquito has turned Stapleton into a media star, with appearances on British TV and radio and interest from as far afield as Australia, the United States and Canada. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironwoods Posted December 1, 2005 Share Posted December 1, 2005 This might be similar to my neighbors use of a leaf blower, and the effect it has on my lawn. Ya know, they'll still have to go somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenratboy Posted December 2, 2005 Share Posted December 2, 2005 LOL, I can hear the turbo on our truck, but my parents cannot. However, I would get a baseball bat and a ski mask if someone put shit like that up at a place I shopped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boomer9911 Posted December 2, 2005 Share Posted December 2, 2005 huh...hand me the headphones eh.....[:^)] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted December 2, 2005 Share Posted December 2, 2005 though one question I have about this is, even though it may not be heard per se what about the still damaging effects? Does high frequency sounds damage hearing below what frequency is played? Like say I play a 18000 hertz frequency at 130 db, does my hearing loss start from there or does it have a gradual drop before hand? So even though older people may not hear it, does it still cause further hearing loss. Also if that product were in the US, I would definitely sue that store for causing hearing loss as it only needs to be a few seconds to damage the ear. And the matter of fact that the sound is blatantly used to hurt people is another pressing matter of concern I feel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwop Posted December 2, 2005 Share Posted December 2, 2005 I wonder what frequency this thing operates at and at what SPL?? RJP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwop Posted December 2, 2005 Share Posted December 2, 2005 "However, I would get a baseball bat and a ski mask if someone put *** like that up at a place I shopped." Not a wise choice kid! Reading some of your other posts I would expect better from you.............. RJP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkp Posted December 2, 2005 Share Posted December 2, 2005 That report was also in the Detroit News (or Detroit Free Press) this past week. There was a quote from a physician of some sort that stated that hearing loss is generally very gradual and that although most youngsters hear better than their parents, that many parents would also be able to hear the sounds emitted from the store using this device thereby driving away a whole range of actual customers, rather than the riff-raff like kenratboy out front. [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted December 2, 2005 Share Posted December 2, 2005 I remember reading that the cruise ship that was attacked off of Somalia's cost defended itself by using a Long Range Acoustic Device, or LRAD. http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/africa/11/07/somalia.pirates.sonic.ap/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petrol Posted December 2, 2005 Share Posted December 2, 2005 /\ that link doesn't work for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speedball Posted December 2, 2005 Share Posted December 2, 2005 no link for me either... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted December 2, 2005 Share Posted December 2, 2005 that is weird..... well goto google and type "cruise ship attacked sonic" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted December 2, 2005 Share Posted December 2, 2005 excerpted from http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2005-11-07-cruise-blast_x.htm Device maker American Technology Corp. said earsplitting "bangs" were directed by trained security personnel toward the pirates. That, combined with ship maneuvers, caused the attackers to leave the area, the company said. The LRAD is a so-called "non-lethal weapon" developed for the U.S. military after the 2000 attack on the USS Cole off Yemen as a way to keep operators of small boats from approaching U.S. warships. The military version is a 45-pound, dish-shaped device that can direct a high-pitched, piercing tone with a tight beam. Neither the LRAD's operators or others in the immediate area are affected. American Technology, based in San Diego, compares its shrill tone to that of smoke detectors, only much louder. It can be as loud as about 150 decibels, while smoke alarms are about 80 to 90 decibels. The devices have been deployed on commercial and naval vessels worldwide since summer 2003, the company said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddvj Posted December 4, 2005 Share Posted December 4, 2005 though one question I have about this is, even though it may not be heard per se what about the still damaging effects? Does high frequency sounds damage hearing below what frequency is played? Like say I play a 18000 hertz frequency at 130 db, does my hearing loss start from there or does it have a gradual drop before hand? So even though older people may not hear it, does it still cause further hearing loss. Also if that product were in the US, I would definitely sue that store for causing hearing loss as it only needs to be a few seconds to damage the ear. And the matter of fact that the sound is blatantly used to hurt people is another pressing matter of concern I feel. Who said anything about 130db? The sound is not being used to "hurt" anyone, it's just an annoying sound to make the kids not hang out in front of the store. I saw this story on TV recently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted December 4, 2005 Share Posted December 4, 2005 actually that was a general question I was asking, for my own sake. But if it were known to cause damaging hearing I would sue them. There are already enough annoying noises in the world. Some we accept (ambulances) and others we should definitely not (white noise in your place of work, study, living) and surprisingly teens don't get annoyed with sounds unless they are usually hurtful. I.e. hear how loud those ipods and walkman are set to these day? I'm pretty convinced that the noise would be sufficent to cause damage over time. But my question is still not been answered? would a high frequency hertz like 18000 start to damage my hearing before that hertz? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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