In a time when the constant background noise of city life interrupts our daily routines, a new advancement in sound-suppression technology offers to decrease the volume. Scientists from MIT have created a special silk fabric that is extremely thin but powerful enough to significantly reduce noise in large areas.
This fabric isn't just something you can hang up like a curtain. Its ability to block sound comes from piezo-electric fibers that keep the fabric still and prevent sound vibrations.
The Innovation Behind The Silence
The special soundproof fabric can do two things. First, it can create sound waves that cancel out unwanted noise. This is similar to how noise-canceling headphones work, by producing opposite sound waves to cancel out background noise.
Second, the fabric can be made to stay still, which stops the transmission of sound in spaces behind it. This is similar to how a mirror reflects light. This technique can stop sound in large spaces like a room or plane, while the first method works for very small spaces.
“Noise is a lot easier to create than quiet. In fact, to keep noise out we dedicate a lot of space to thick walls. [First author] Grace’s work provides a new mechanism for creating quiet spaces with a thin sheet of fabric,” said Yoel Fink, an MIT professor in the departments of Materials Science and Engineering and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and senior author of the new study.
Practical Applications and Future Prospects
Using common, lightweight materials like silk, canvas, and muslin to create these noise-blocking fabrics makes this technology accessible for everyday use. Imagine turning busy office spaces into peaceful work areas or making a noisy bedroom into a quiet retreat using strategically placed fabric.
The benefits of this technology go beyond just convenience. As city environments become noisier, the ability to create quiet spaces with minimal changes to the structure could improve mental health and productivity. According to estimates, chronic noise exposure leads to 48,000 new cases of heart disease in Europe each year and disrupts the sleep of 6.5 million people.
For example, the researchers imagine using these special fabrics as partitions in open workspaces. Or, the thin fabrics can cover walls to stop sound from passing through.
Quietness has never been so thin
But how does it all function? The heart of this technology is in piezoelectric fibers — materials that produce an electric signal when bent. These fibers have been cleverly woven into normal fabric like silk to create a unique sound-reducing system.
Previously, the MIT researchers utilized piezoelectric fibers to transform fabrics into microphones. This time, they’ve reversed everything, applying electric signals to piezoelectric fibers to generate vibrations that emit sound waves. Essentially, the fabrics have turned into speakers — but not the kind you can hear. These waves are designed to destructively clash with environmental noises, effectively quieting them.
“While we can use fabric to create sound, there is already so much noise in our world. We thought creating silence could be even more valuable,” said the study’s lead author Grace (Noel) Yang.
Though the current system effectively reduces noise in controlled settings — lowering sounds up to 65 decibels — it’s the broader uses that excite researchers. The fabric’s ability to adapt to different sound frequencies and the potential for larger-scale noise reduction opens new possibilities for both public and private spaces troubled by unwanted noise.
The researchers view this as just the start. By experimenting with the number of fibers, their arrangement, and the electric inputs, they aim to improve the fabric’s noise-canceling abilities.
In a world where noise is all too common but silence is precious, this innovative fabric could represent a significant advancement in environmental control and soundproofing.
The findings were published in the journal Advances Materials.
