Researchers at Nanjing University in China have created a one-way sound tunnel using special linings. The tunnel, which is four inches wide, takes in sound from both sides, but only lets it escape from one.

It's all thanks to special 3D-printed acoustic metamaterials that line the inside of the tube. Made from the usual ABS plastic found in 3D printers, the metamaterials form differently sized grooves depending on which end of the tunnel they're on, the exit side or the no-exit side. These grooves alter the reflective properties of the printed bits so that when sound goes in the one end it can proceed through just fine, but when it comes in the other way it hits the grooves and essentially performs a U-turn, heading back in the direction from whence it came. The design isn't perfect yet, and it's not the first time this kind of research has been conducted and published. But it's a major turning point for conceptual structures.

Thanks to the fact that the tunnel doesn't affect light or heat and only reflects sound, this tech could ultimately be built into all manner of anti-noise concepts. You might be able to use it in special windows, for example, or vents, or anything else you want to see through but not hear through. So someday you might even be able to get a close look at a jet engine in sweet silence through a panel that blocks all sound.

Source: Phys.org

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