Earplugs That Block Out All Sounds

Abstract

A new 3D-printed earplug can absorb physiological sounds made by the body, potentially making it more acoustically comfortable to use than some commercially available earplugs.By Rachel Berkowitz P lugging your ears with cylinders of foam can block out sounds from your surroundings. But it can also amplify and distort noises made by your own body when you chew, walk, or speak. Now Olivier Doutres at École de Technologie Supérieure, Canada, and his colleagues have designed an earplug without this so-called occlusion effect [1]. The researchers presented their design at the Canadian Acoustical Association's annual meeting, which took place in Montreal earlier this month.An earplug developed by Doutres and his colleagues has a 3D-printed structure attached to a soft foam plug, which fits into the ear-canal cavity. A Canadian $1 coin is shown for scale.