Using Smartphones To Improve Disaster Search and Rescue

In disaster situations where visibility is limited, sound that can penetrate through rubble is the key to finding trapped victims quickly. #ASA_ASJ2025 #ASA189

HONOLULU, Dec. 5, 2025 — When a natural disaster strikes, time is of the essence if people are trapped under rubble. Conventional methods use radar-based detection or employ acoustics that rely on sounds made by victims.

Since most people carry their phones with them every day, Shogo Takada, a student at the University of Tokyo, is working on a way to use smartphone microphones to assist in locating disaster victims.

Takada will present his results Friday, Dec. 5, at 11:45 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 diagram showing a hypothetical search and rescue situation utilizing a smartphone microphone. Credit: Shogo Takada

A diagram showing a hypothetical search and rescue situation utilizing a smartphone microphone. Credit: Shogo Takada

“This method is effective for locating victims buried under debris or soil caused by earthquakes or landslides because sound waves can propagate through them,” said Takada. “It could also be used to locate rescuers affected by secondary disasters.”

The method combines two types of sound sources, monopole and dipole. Radiating out equally in a circle, monopole sources create sound waves around the source, whereas dipole sources radiate sound from the front and back but cancel out on the sides. Dipole sound sources are directional, which can help researchers estimate the azimuth angle of the sound source, giving them information about the source’s location.

In a disaster situation, a rescuer would emit two dipole sounds, which would be received by the microphone of a trapped victim, and then an electromagnetic wave would be sent from the victim’s phone to broadcast their location. In the presence of sound-reflecting debris, a monopole sound can also be emitted by the rescuer to help reduce the effect of the debris. All of the sound sources can be incorporated into a formula to help estimate the location of the trapped person.

Takada’s technique proved highly successful in a field test on a disaster training site. The method achieved an error of 5.04 degrees away from the hypothetical victim, when searching over an area of 10 square meters.

“One limitation is that the method assumes the victim should possess a device equipped with a microphone,” said Takada. “This is a more restrictive condition compared to traditional techniques that detect sounds or voices emitted by the victim.”

However, given the widespread use of smartphones, Takada believes that this technique is promising and plans to refine it further.

“In future work, we plan to develop a method that can estimate not only the azimuth angle but also the elevation angle of the sound source,” Takada said. “Additionally, we aim to expand the system to use two sound sources to achieve three-dimensional localization.”

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/.

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Software Platform Helps Users Find the Best Hearing Protection

The Hearing Protection Optimization Tool translates the complexities of how humans perceive sounds to personalized situational hearing protection recommendations. #ASA_ASJ2025 #ASA189

HONOLULU, Dec. 4, 2025 — The world is loud. A walk down the street bombards one’s ears with the sound of engines revving, car horns blaring, and the steady beeps of pedestrian crossings. While smartphone alerts to excessive sound and public awareness of noise exposure grows, few tools help people take protective action.

To address this gap, Santino Cozza and a team from Applied Research Associates, Inc. developed the Hearing Protection Optimization Tool (HPOT). HPOT was designed to move beyond traditional noise reductions ratings and highlight performance characteristics that matter in real-world conditions. This user-friendly software platform, which draws on years of research and operational insight, helps people select the appropriate hearing protection device (HPD) for their specific environment.

Cozza will present the software Thursday, Dec. 4, at 11:45 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.

The Hearing Protection Optimization Tool (HPOT) platform in use. Credit: Shebly Wrather

The HPOT platform in use. Credit: Shebly Wrather

“The underlying science of how humans perceive sound is complex, drawing from acoustics, psychology, and physiology,” said Cozza. “We designed HPOT to translate that into something usable, empowering smarter, more personalized hearing protection.”

HPOT asks users to share basic information about their noise environment, such as sound intensity and exposure duration. If measurements aren’t available, the platform estimates exposure levels based on users’ descriptions of their setting.

By combining noise exposure levels with algorithmic analyses of the benefits of different HPDs, HPOT matches users with a database of suitable, regulatory-approved HPDs. It translates complex acoustic and psychoacoustic factors and calculations, like insertion loss, speech intelligibility, and sound localization, into clear visuals that help users directly compare HPDs.

Users can toggle inputs for communication needs, mobility, cost, and power requirements to visualize trade-offs and optimize HPD selection for their preferences.

While HPOT was initially developed to support military hearing protection decisions, Cozza sees its utility as reaching far beyond that.

“Whether you’re a hearing conservationist protecting workers, an audiologist trying to stay current with new technologies, or just someone choosing earplugs for a concert, HPOT was built to help,” he said.

The team is currently developing advanced updates for the platform to widen its relevance, including support for impulse noise environments and integrating double hearing protection.

“HPOT is a blueprint for modernizing how personal protective equipment is selected,” Cozza said. “We envision a future where intuitive, data-driven tools exist across all categories. Our goal is to simplify those processes using the same science-to-software approach that powers HPOT.”

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

Ultrasonic Pest Control To Protect Beehives

New technique uses ultrasonic signals that mimic bat calls to deter wax moths from beehives #ASA_ASJ2025 #ASA189

HONOLULU, Dec. 4, 2025 — Bees, and other pollinator species, are dying. Between pesticides, the climate crisis, and habitat loss, bee colonies are becoming weaker, leaving them more vulnerable to parasites like the greater and lesser wax moths. Vulnerable bees have cascading effects on beekeepers and food security in the apiculture industry.

A team of researchers from the University of Strathclyde and Japan’s National Agriculture and Food Research Organization is exploiting the unusual hearing of wax moths to develop a sustainable and efficient pest control technique that does not harm bees.

Lara Díaz García, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Strathclyde, will present her findings Thursday, Dec. 4, at 10:30 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 female specimen of the greater wax moth (Galleria mellonella) in the middle of tethered flight experiments. Credit: Lara Díaz García

A female specimen of the greater wax moth (Galleria mellonella) in the middle of tethered flight experiments. Credit: Lara Díaz García

Wax moths take advantage of weakened bee colonies, tunneling through the hive and feeding on the honeycomb and bee eggs. Removing infestations is labor-intensive — beekeepers must remove individual frames affected by the infestation and catch any remaining wax moths with sticky traps.

These moths can hear sounds four octaves higher than a human can, and this ultrasonic hearing helps them avoid becoming tasty bat food and hear male moth calls. They tell these calls apart based on the timing of the signal and the loudness of the sound.

By analyzing which patterns of bat echolocation calls elicited a stronger neural response in the moths, the researchers determined the best ultrasonic deterrent. Because bees have no sense of hearing, this pest control mechanism does not harm them.

“The technique can be adapted to different moth species; it would require some work for tuning to the most sensitive range to their particular hearing, and then targeting that range, but once that initial part is done, the technique should be applicable to any other moth species capable of hearing — which is the majority of them,” said Díaz García.

The team also developed a simplified model of the lesser wax moth eardrum, capturing its essential features to explain its directional hearing. They hope to generalize their method for other moth species and to develop a commercial pest control device or acoustic sensors inspired by moth ears.

“Nature is truly impressive and inspiring for technological development,” said Díaz García. “It’s also great to contribute to a very tangible outcome of very real problems that we’re seeing due to the climate crisis.”

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

How Sound Moves on Mars

Understanding acoustic propagation within the Martian environment helps scientists understand the planet and will inform future missions. #ASA_ASJ2025 #ASA189

HONOLULU, Dec. 4, 2025 — Acoustic signals have been important markers during NASA’s Mars missions. Measurements of sound can provide information both about Mars itself — such as turbulence in its atmosphere, changes in its temperature, and its surface conditions — and about the movement of the Mars rovers.

Using these sound measurements to the best extent possible requires an accurate understanding of how sound propagates on Mars. Charlie Zheng, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Utah State University, and his doctoral student Hayden Baird, who is partially sponsored by the Utah Space Grant Consortium Graduate Fellowship, will present their work simulating sound propagation on Mars Thursday, Dec. 4, at 8:25 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 in Honolulu, Hawaii.

A graph showing the simulated sound propagation on Mars. Credit: Charlie Zheng

A graph showing the simulated sound propagation on Mars. Credit: Charlie Zheng

“We expect that the study will provide deeper insight into weather and terrain effects on acoustic propagation in environments that are not easily measured,” said Zheng. “The Martian environment is obviously one of them.”

Baird and Zheng’s work uses NASA’s measurements of the atmospheric conditions and terrain on Mars, most of which have been previously modeled at meter-scale resolutions. They also had access to decades of data about the red planet’s atmospheric composition and properties, as well as seismic studies that measure the ground porosity — all factors that play into how sound propagates.

“The setup of the simulation model used in this study relies heavily on previous results from multiple scientific disciplines,” said Baird.

Focusing on the Jezero crater, the 2021 landing and exploration site of NASA’s Perseverance rover and its attached Ingenuity helicopter, the researchers simulated how sound moves through and scatters off the region’s complex terrains, whether it comes from a moving or stationary source. This will help them understand how other atmospheres compare to our own.

The researchers hope their model will help identify signals and patterns that indicate specific Martian atmospheric events. In the longer term, it may even help with sensor designs for future missions to other planets or moons to study atmospheric conditions.

“This study is a beginning to dive into many potential areas of planetary research,” said Zheng.

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

A Metamaterial That Bridges Air and Water

Made from common aluminum and steel, this metamaterial allows sound transference between air and water. #ASA_ASJ2025 #ASA189

HONOLULU, Dec. 3, 2025 — Have you ever tried yelling underwater? Not only is it difficult to make the noise, but it is rarely audible to those outside of the water. Sound travels differently in mediums of different densities, and that causes a high acoustic impedance ratio between air and water, meaning that sound waves have a tough time breaking the air-water barrier, and most of the sound waves reflect off the barrier rather than penetrating it.

To help sound travel between these two mediums, Rutgers University doctoral student Hesam Bakhtiary Yekta simulated a metamaterial that will sit at the air-water interface and improve sound transmission.

Bakhtiary Yekta will present his analysis of the metamaterial Wednesday, Dec. 3, at 9:30 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.

The efficacy of a metamaterial that can transmit water through sound. Credit: Hesam Bakhtiary Yekta

The efficacy of a metamaterial that can transmit water through sound. Credit: Hesam Bakhtiary Yekta

His metamaterial is made from three parallel plates with “ribs” separating them. Sitting at the boundary between air and water, it works by passing the vibrations through its structure, helping to transfer the energy between the air and water.

“One of the reasons our design stands out from others is its simplicity,” said Bakhtiary Yekta. “The structure consists of three aluminum plates, which is a common and easily available material. The plates are connected by steel pillar ribs … which hold the structure together and define its acoustic and resonant behavior.”

Bakhtiary Yekta hopes that his metamaterial will help facilitate communication between underwater and airborne vehicles, such as an underwater robot and a drone.

“The robot could send an acoustic signal at a specific frequency toward the structure, which is designed to resonate at that frequency and allow the sound to pass from water into air,” Bakhtiary Yekta said. “This would make acoustic communication between the two environments possible using a passive mechanism with a decent bandwidth.”

Bakhtiary Yekta has already filed a provisional patent for his design.

“My next goal is to continue developing the patent and explore the possibility of running an experiment to verify our simulation and theoretical results,” Bakhtiary Yekta 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