Team: Proud (ca2969), Vio (yz9617), Zoey (zf2288)
Last update: Apr 16, 2024
We share our lives with pets, yet they perceive a world of sound that is completely beyond our human experience. It's possible that when you see your cat suddenly staring at something or turning around abruptly, they are reacting to noises we simply cannot hear. Human hearing ranges from 20 to 20k Hz, whereas dogs can hear up to 64k Hz and cats can detect sounds higher than 80k Hz. Many ordinary household items emit loud sounds in these ultrasonic ranges, suggesting that we might actually be the real pests in our homes.
Our project offers you the opportunity to explore everyday objects through the ears of your pet. By using bone conduction headphones, your normal hearing remains unaffected, yet ultrasonic sounds are added as a unique layer of vibration. This technology will open your ears and leave you in awe of the world of our pets.
Our product is composed of two main components: the sound detection unit and the headset. For the sound detection, we have opted to utilize a bat detector, which is equipped with a high-quality ultrasonic detector optimized at 40 kHz. By modifying the bat detector to connect to headphones, we give the user a personal sound exploration tool. The pet-inspired headset enclosure contains the electronics and battery, using the familiar look of cat / dog ears with the microphone situated directly in the ear which enables users to walk freely and listen using their new ears. By connecting to bone conduction headphones attached to the headset, sound is emitted as a unique vibration which intensifies or subsides based solely on sound above 20 kHz.
bat detector
