How Effective Are Torpedo Bats, Exactly? #ASA190

Acoustic analysis can reveal the benefits of baseball’s newest invention.

PHILADELPHIA, May 13, 2026 — In the spring of 2025, baseball fans were treated to a surprise when the New York Yankees began the season with a unique style of bat. Termed “torpedo bats,” these new designs tapered slightly toward the end, so the widest points of the bats were closer to the “sweet spot” — the optimal place to hit to send the ball flying. In theory, this shape was more ergonomic, giving the Yankees an advantage at the plate.

But for all its fanfare, one question remains: Is the torpedo bat actually better?

Dan Russell from Pennsylvania State University will present his acoustic analysis of torpedo bats Wednesday, May 13, at 11:35 a.m. ET as part of the 190th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, running May 11-15.

Man in a plaid shirt working on an experiment setup with a baseball bat in a cluttered lab.

The setup used to conduct a modal analysis on the specialized torpedo bats. Credit: Dan Russell

Russell has spent decades using acoustic techniques to evaluate sporting equipment. He has studied golf clubs, tennis rackets, hockey sticks, table tennis paddles, and, of course, baseball bats. Over the course of his career, he has studied nearly every bat shape imaginable, including the unusual bottle bat, a 1920s era bat with a large barrel and thin handle that resembled a milk bottle.

To study the torpedo bats, Russell used a technique called modal analysis, which involves striking the bat with a special hammer and measuring both the impact force and the resulting vibrations. By striking and measuring at various points along the length of the bat, he can see how movement in each part of the bat affects every other part.

“The result is a collection of vibrational mode shapes, each with their own natural frequency — and those vibrational shapes allow us to define or locate the ‘sweet spot’ in the barrel, which affects the batted ball speed, and in the handle, which affects the sensation of ‘feel,’” said Russell.

This information is crucial, especially to amateur baseball players, who evaluate the performance of their bats primarily based on these vibrational modes.

“It turns out that the two most important things a player cares about are the way the bat sounds when it hits the ball and what it feels like during the impact,” said Russell. “Sound and feel are more important to the perception of quality than where the ball actually goes or how fast the ball is hit.”

Russell’s analysis shows that the torpedo bat shape does affect the location of the sweet spot, which likely impacts how the bat feels. However, whether that change translates into an actual advantage on the field is still an open question. Preliminary research Russell has conducted with colleagues from the University of Illinois and Washington State University suggests that a torpedo bat might add a few extra miles per hour to a hit ball, but this has yet to be confirmed.

“We hope to match our computer model and lab tests to available MLB field data from 2024 and 2025 for the players whose bats we have been testing to see if our testing and modeling can correlate to actual batted-ball speeds before and after they switched from standard to torpedo bats,” said Russell.

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For more information:
AIP Media
1 301.209.3090
media@aip.org

Main Meeting Website: https://acousticalsociety.org/philadelphia/
Technical Program: https://eppro01.ativ.me/web/planner.php?id=ASASPRING2026

ASA PRESS ROOM
In the coming weeks, ASA’s Press Room will be updated with newsworthy stories and the press conference schedule at https://acoustics.org/asa-press-room/.

LAY LANGUAGE PAPERS
ASA will also share dozens of lay language papers about topics covered at the conference. Lay language papers are summaries (300-500 words) of presentations written by scientists for a general audience. They will be accompanied by photos, audio, and video. Learn more at https://acoustics.org/lay-language-papers/.

PRESS REGISTRATION
ASA will grant free registration to the in-person conference at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown for credentialed and professional freelance journalists. If you are a reporter and would like to attend the meeting and/or press conferences, contact AIP Media Services at media@aip.org. For urgent requests, AIP staff can also help with setting up interviews and obtaining images, sound clips, or background information.

ABOUT THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA
The Acoustical Society of America is the premier international scientific society in acoustics devoted to the science and technology of sound. Its 7,000 members worldwide represent a broad spectrum of the study of acoustics. ASA publications include The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America (the world’s leading journal on acoustics), JASA Express Letters, Proceedings of Meetings on Acoustics, Acoustics Today magazine, books, and standards on acoustics. The society also holds two major scientific meetings each year. See https://acousticalsociety.org/.

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Whip It Good: How Olympic Weightlifting Relies on a Barbell’s ‘Whip’ #ASA190

Elite lifters use barbell vibrations to their advantage, which vary from bar to bar.

PHILADELPHIA, May 13, 2026 — In Olympic weightlifting, a single kilogram plate can be the difference between gold and silver. As much as possible, elite athletes must use everything they can to their advantage.

One of these variables is known as the barbell’s “whip,” the bouncy bendiness of a bar under dynamic movements. Joshua Langlois, a graduate student at Pennsylvania State University, will present his work studying these Olympic barbell vibrations Wednesday, May 13, at 11:20 a.m. ET as part of the 190th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, running May 11-15.

Barbell with red Rogue weight plates set up on a squat rack inside a gym with a laptop and workout gear on a wooden box beneath it.

The experimental setup used to determine the vibrations of barbells used in Olympic weightlifting. Credit: Joshua Langlois

“Weightlifters use the bar’s whip to assist in the upward acceleration by timing the oscillation of the bar so that they drive upwards into the bar when the vibration in the bar is already moving the weight upwards,” Langlois said.

Though Olympic barbells are constrained to a specific weight, diameter, and length, the rest of their properties vary by brand. This means the steel alloy the barbell is made of, its coating, and how it connects to its sleeve — the area that holds the weights — can be inconsistent from barbell to barbell, and all these properties affect the bar’s whip.

Langlois’ work compares both the vibrations of different barbells and the vibrations of one barbell with different amounts of weight. One major variation he uncovered so far is due to the bars’ sleeves: Vibrational modes primarily rely on geometry, so the difference in sleeves between bars has a larger effect than their different materials.

The studies are still exploratory, and more work remains to be done to understand how these changes affect a lifter’s performance.

“Performing modal analysis on one barbell under several different loads and across several barbells under the same load has given us the initial data needed to begin answering the questions of ‘How much does the barbell matter?’ and ‘What makes a good barbell?’” Langlois said.

###

For more information:
AIP Media
1 301.209.3090
media@aip.org

Main Meeting Website: https://acousticalsociety.org/philadelphia/
Technical Program: https://eppro01.ativ.me/web/planner.php?id=ASASPRING2026

ASA PRESS ROOM
In the coming weeks, ASA’s Press Room will be updated with newsworthy stories and the press conference schedule at https://acoustics.org/asa-press-room/.

LAY LANGUAGE PAPERS
ASA will also share dozens of lay language papers about topics covered at the conference. Lay language papers are summaries (300-500 words) of presentations written by scientists for a general audience. They will be accompanied by photos, audio, and video. Learn more at https://acoustics.org/lay-language-papers/.

PRESS REGISTRATION
ASA will grant free registration to the in-person conference at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown for credentialed and professional freelance journalists. If you are a reporter and would like to attend the meeting and/or press conferences, contact AIP Media Services at media@aip.org. For urgent requests, AIP staff can also help with setting up interviews and obtaining images, sound clips, or background information.

ABOUT THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA
The Acoustical Society of America is the premier international scientific society in acoustics devoted to the science and technology of sound. Its 7,000 members worldwide represent a broad spectrum of the study of acoustics. ASA publications include The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America (the world’s leading journal on acoustics), JASA Express Letters, Proceedings of Meetings on Acoustics, Acoustics Today magazine, books, and standards on acoustics. The society also holds two major scientific meetings each year. See https://acousticalsociety.org/.

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A Recommended Noise Standard for Pickleball

Barry Wyerman – wyerbr@gmail.com

PSM Consulting LLC, Bonita Springs, FL, 34134, United States

Dale Van Scoyk, PSM Consulting LLC

Popular version of 3pNS2 – A Recommended Metric and Noise Standard for Pickleball Noise
Presented at the 190th ASA Meeting
Read the abstract at https://eppro01.ativ.me/web/planner.php?id=ASASPRING2026

–The research described in this Acoustics Lay Language Paper may not have yet been peer reviewed–

A new standard for assessing pickleball noise has been developed to better reflect how people actually experience the sound, especially in neighborhoods near courts. The growing popularity of pickleball—and the rapid expansion of new courts—is creating a clear need for improved and simplified acoustical standards to avoid excessive noise in nearby residential areas. This proposed noise standard has already been successfully applied on multiple projects, including the evaluation of new courts planned near homes and the development of sound reduction solutions for existing courts.

Pickleball has a distinct “pop” when the paddle hits the ball, and that sharp, repetitive sound can be more noticeable and irritating than steady background noise.

Current standards based on average sound levels with a slow meter response tend to smooth out these sharp peaks and will understate the annoyance from pickleball. This new approach improves on those methods by focusing on the loudest, most noticeable moments of play.

It uses a sound level meter set to a fast response and maximum (peak) measurement, allowing it to capture the highest sound levels rather than averaging everything together. It also uses A-weighting (dBA) so that measurements reflect how the human ear perceives sound.

A key feature of the standard is how it accounts for existing background noise. First, the ambient sound level is measured using a slow, averaging setting. If that background sound is 47 dBA or lower, the limit for pickleball noise is set at 50 dBA (fast maximum). If the background sound is higher than 47 dBA, the allowable pickleball noise level increases to 3 dBA above the measured background level. This signal-to-noise approach ensures that pickleball sound does not stand out excessively compared to its surroundings as shown in the figure below.

Table showing pickleball noise limits based on background sound levels in decibels (dB LAeq) and maximum allowed noise (dB LAFmax).

Importantly, the standard does not prescribe specific noise control methods. Instead, it establishes a clear threshold above which sound is likely to become objectionable. This makes it a practical tool for both planning and enforcement. It can be used before construction to evaluate whether new courts will meet acceptable noise levels with or without mitigation measures, and it can also be applied to existing courts to assess and guide sound reduction efforts.

Another advantage is its simplicity and practicality. Unlike environmental standards that require 24-hour monitoring and complex averaging with adjustments, this method can be used quickly in the field by acoustical consultants, police officers, zoning officials, or community inspectors using standard sound level meters. By focusing on the most noticeable characteristics of pickleball noise, it provides a more accurate, realistic, and enforceable approach than current standards commonly used in community noise ordinances. This standard could be an addendum to an existing community noise ordinance to address pickleball noise.

Waterfall Sounds and Sulfur Scent Shape a Uniquely Relaxing Soundscape

Yosua W. Tedja – yosuatedja@gmail.com
Lucky Tsaih
Veerin Udomsopakit, Khaing Thinzar, Sanh T. Diep, Shiang-I Juan
Department of Architecture, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology
Taipei, Taiwan

Popular version of 4aNS7 – Beyond Odor Intensity: Assessing Sensory Congruence in the Restorative Soundscape of Beitou Thermal Valley
Presented at the 190th ASA Meeting
Read the abstract at https://eppro01.ativ.me/web/planner.php?id=ASASPRING2026

–The research described in this Acoustics Lay Language Paper may not have yet been peer reviewed–

While a strong sulfur scent might seem like an unlikely ingredient for relaxation, it doesn’t ruin the soundscape at northern Taiwan’s Beitou Thermal Valley. In fact, visitors find the experience uniquely restorative because the distinctive smell perfectly matches the steaming vapor, milky green hot springs, and the steady rush of falling water.

Tourists gather on walkways overlooking a steaming hot spring surrounded by lush greenery and rocky terrain.

Figure 1. Visitors gather at Beitou Thermal Valley as sulfur-rich steam rises from the geothermal pool. Image courtesy of the authors.

Video 1. Beitou Thermal Valley scenery and on-site visitor comments regarding the sulfur smell. Video courtesy of the authors.

Beitou Thermal Valley is one of Taiwan’s most famous hot spring landscapes. Its distinctive scent comes mainly from hydrogen sulfide, a naturally occurring gas. In an ordinary place, this smell might feel unpleasant. But in this geothermal valley, it becomes part of the site’s identity.

To examine this experience, visitors were surveyed near the waterfall area locally known as Witch’s Rock Waterfall, as shown in Figure 3. In this open-air setting, the sulfur smell and waterfall sound occur together. The sound level was about 61.6 dBA, roughly similar to a busy restaurant, as heard in Video 2.

Steam rising over clear turquoise water near a rocky shoreline with scattered leaves and twigs.

Figure 2. A close-up of Beitou Thermal Valley’s steaming, milky green geothermal water. The sulfur-rich hot spring water releases the distinctive smell that shapes visitors’ sensory experience at the site. Image courtesy of the authors.

Small waterfall cascading over mossy rocks surrounded by hanging vines and lush greenery beside an informational wooden sign.

Figure 3. The Witch’s Rock Waterfall at Beitou Thermal Valley. Image courtesy of the authors.

Video 2. The sound environment at the waterfall zone measured about 62 decibels. It is not quiet, but not overwhelming either, roughly the volume of a busy restaurant. Video courtesy of the authors.

The findings were clear: a stronger sulfur scent did not equate to a worse sound experience. Most visitors still evaluated the soundscape positively, proving that sensory harmony matters most. When the distinct smell, ambient sound, rising steam, and visual landscape felt connected, the environment became highly restorative.

For public-space design, this offers a valuable lesson: comfort does not always come from removing every strong sensation. At Beitou Thermal Valley, the sulfur odor is not a flaw; it is an essential part of the place. This study proves that nature’s best remedy doesn’t always rely on complete silence and floral breezes. Sometimes, true relaxation comes from steam, a sulfur scent, and the steady roar of falling water, perfectly aligned to tell the same sensory story.

Making Quieter Dental Drills to Reduce Dental Anxiety

By studying the aeroacoustics of a dental drill, researchers can pinpoint the anxiety-causing sounds and design drills to lessen them. #ASA_ASJ2025 #ASA189

HONOLULU, Dec. 2, 2025 — Dental anxiety, also known as odontophobia, prevents people from getting their regular cleanings and keeping up with necessary dental hygiene.

One aspect of the anxiety comes from the sound of the dental drill, which makes a high-pitched whining sound. As a dentist, Tomomi Yamada has witnessed discomfort and fear in her patients firsthand.

“Originally, I was doing research on dental materials, but I realized that almost no one — not even dentists — was tackling this sound problem scientifically,” Yamada said.

Yamada, an assistant professor at the University of Osaka’s graduate school of dentistry, will present her work Tuesday, Dec. 2, at 8:20 a.m. HST as part of the Sixth Joint Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America and Acoustical Society of Japan, running Dec. 1-5 in Honolulu, Hawaii.

A dental drill being used in a patient’s mouth. Credit: Tomomi Yamada

A dental drill being used in a patient’s mouth. Credit: Tomomi Yamada

To understand the aerodynamics of the drill, Yamada and her collaborators from the University of Osaka, Kobe University, and National Cheng Kung University used Japan’s flagship supercomputer to conduct large-scale aeroacoustics simulations. They analyzed the internal and external airflow of the dental drill, which is powered by compressed air and rotates at about 320,000 revolutions per minute.

From these simulations, they were able to visualize how air moves through and around the drill to create the noise.

“Our research showed that just making the drill quieter isn’t enough to make the sound less unpleasant,” Yamada said. “What really matters is improving its sound quality.”

The researchers also tested the psychological effects of the dental drill, which can generate high-pitched sounds reaching nearly 20 kilohertz, with children and adults. They found that younger listeners had different reactions to the drill, perceiving the sounds as louder and more unpleasant.

“This indicates that children’s fear of dental sounds is not merely psychological but also physiological in nature,” said Yamada. “Children truly hear these sounds differently, so their fear of dental treatment is a genuine sensory response, not just imagination.”

To address this, Yamada and her colleagues are working on optimizing the blade geometry and exhaust port of the drill to minimize the noise while maintaining the performance.

To get the dental industry to adopt this new technology, achieving a balance between the device’s performance and safety is key, since a quieter drill won’t necessarily get the job done.

“Moving forward, we hope to work with dental manufacturers through industry–academia partnerships, progressing toward commercialization after completing the necessary regulatory and durability testing,” Yamada said.

Contact:
AIP Media
+1 301-209-3090
media@aip.org

——————— MORE MEETING INFORMATION ——————–

Main Meeting Website: https://acousticalsociety.org/honolulu-2025/
Technical Program: https://eppro02.ativ.me/web/planner.php?id=ASAASJ25

ASA PRESS ROOM
In the coming weeks, ASA’s Press Room will be updated with newsworthy stories and the press conference schedule at https://acoustics.org/asa-press-room/.

LAY LANGUAGE PAPERS
ASA will also share dozens of lay language papers about topics covered at the conference. Lay language papers are summaries (300-500 words) of presentations written by scientists for a general audience. They will be accompanied by photos, audio, and video. Learn more at https://acoustics.org/lay-language-papers/.

PRESS REGISTRATION
ASA will grant free registration to credentialed and professional freelance journalists. If you are a reporter and would like to attend the meeting and/or press conferences, contact AIP Media Services at media@aip.org. For urgent requests, AIP staff can also help with setting up interviews and obtaining images, sound clips, or background information.

ABOUT THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA
The Acoustical Society of America is the premier international scientific society in acoustics devoted to the science and technology of sound. Its 7,000 members worldwide represent a broad spectrum of the study of acoustics. ASA publications include The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America (the world’s leading journal on acoustics), JASA Express Letters, Proceedings of Meetings on Acoustics, Acoustics Today magazine, books, and standards on acoustics. The society also holds two major scientific meetings each year. See https://acousticalsociety.org/.

ABOUT THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF JAPAN
ASJ publishes a monthly journal in Japanese, the Journal of the Acoustical Society of Japan as well as a bimonthly journal in English, Acoustical Science and Technology, which is available online at no cost https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/browse/ast. These journals include technical papers and review papers. Special issues are occasionally organized and published. The Society also publishes textbooks and reference books to promote acoustics associated with various topics. See https://acoustics.jp/en/.

More Press Releases

Developing a New Electric Vehicle Sound

Employing low-frequency noise can help electric vehicles stand out in busy environments. #ASA_ASJ2025 #ASA189

HONOLULU, Dec. 1, 2025 — One of the many benefits of electric vehicles is that they are much quieter than traditional gasoline-powered vehicles. In some cases, though, they are too quiet. Automakers are required to design their vehicles so they emit sounds at low speeds to alert pedestrians to their presence.

However, aside from some basic regulations regarding volume, automakers are free to choose whatever noise they wish their vehicles to emit. This freedom gives researchers a unique opportunity to design custom sounds to maximize their effectiveness.

Graduate student Mei Suzuki will present her team’s efforts to design custom approach sounds for electric vehicles Monday, Dec. 1, at 2:35 p.m. HST as part of the Sixth Joint Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America and Acoustical Society of Japan, running Dec. 1-5 in Honolulu, Hawaii.

A listening test for an electric vehicle. Credit: Mei Suzuki

A listening test for an electric vehicle. Credit: Mei Suzuki

To test their library of created sounds, the team played them to volunteers, both in a studio and in real road conditions. They then asked the volunteers to rate each based on criteria such as “The sound has a sense of urgency” and “The sound is easy to notice.” The noises were then ranked based on this feedback.

They found the best performer was a version of pink noise — a type of noise dominated by lower-frequency notes.

“The reason this sound stimulus was rated highest was its strong low-frequency components and its similarity to automotive running noise,” said Suzuki.

This low-frequency noise distribution was less susceptible to being drowned out by other sources of ambient noise, which meant that approaching vehicles could be heard clearly by the volunteers in all conditions.

The researchers are planning to introduce similar sounds for electric bicycles, e-scooters, and other small lightweight mobility devices.

“Starting this year, we are conducting research on the sound design of approach warning sounds specifically for micromobility devices,” said Suzuki. “Since research on approach warning sounds for micromobility devices is largely unexplored, we believe this could contribute to reducing collisions involving pedestrians and visually impaired individuals.”

Contact:
AIP Media
+1 301-209-3090
media@aip.org

——————— MORE MEETING INFORMATION ——————–

Main Meeting Website: https://acousticalsociety.org/honolulu-2025/
Technical Program: https://eppro02.ativ.me/web/planner.php?id=ASAASJ25

ASA PRESS ROOM
In the coming weeks, ASA’s Press Room will be updated with newsworthy stories and the press conference schedule at https://acoustics.org/asa-press-room/.

LAY LANGUAGE PAPERS
ASA will also share dozens of lay language papers about topics covered at the conference. Lay language papers are summaries (300-500 words) of presentations written by scientists for a general audience. They will be accompanied by photos, audio, and video. Learn more at https://acoustics.org/lay-language-papers/.

PRESS REGISTRATION
ASA will grant free registration to credentialed and professional freelance journalists. If you are a reporter and would like to attend the meeting and/or press conferences, contact AIP Media Services at media@aip.org. For urgent requests, AIP staff can also help with setting up interviews and obtaining images, sound clips, or background information.

ABOUT THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA
The Acoustical Society of America is the premier international scientific society in acoustics devoted to the science and technology of sound. Its 7,000 members worldwide represent a broad spectrum of the study of acoustics. ASA publications include The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America (the world’s leading journal on acoustics), JASA Express Letters, Proceedings of Meetings on Acoustics, Acoustics Today magazine, books, and standards on acoustics. The society also holds two major scientific meetings each year. See https://acousticalsociety.org/.

ABOUT THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF JAPAN
ASJ publishes a monthly journal in Japanese, the Journal of the Acoustical Society of Japan as well as a bimonthly journal in English, Acoustical Science and Technology, which is available online at no cost https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/browse/ast. These journals include technical papers and review papers. Special issues are occasionally organized and published. The Society also publishes textbooks and reference books to promote acoustics associated with various topics. See https://acoustics.jp/en/.

More Press Releases