A revolutionary portable device invented by Virginia Tech architecture professor Mehdi Setareh with help from students promises to make structural vibration-reducing technology universally accessible.

The PTMD – or portable tuned mass damper – significantly improves on existing technology by making it more compact, affordable, simple to set up and tune, and easy to integrate into a structure’s design. The device has reduced vibrations by as much as 40 to 75 percent in tests at Virginia Tech’s Vibration Testing Lab, as well as in campus buildings and a footbridge in Clifton Forge.

“With the increased use of modern, lightweight building materials to create elegant, flexible designs, we’ve also seen an upsurge in the problem of structural vibrations,” said Setareh, a professor in the School of Architecture + Design in Virginia Tech’s College of Architecture and Urban Studies and founder/director of Virginia Tech’s Vibration Testing Lab. “While these vibrations are not necessarily dangerous, they can be disturbing to people and interfere with sensitive equipment and instrumentation. The PTMD improves upon an expensive and complicated dampening system by offering a cost-effective alternative that’s easy to manufacture and use.”

Tuned mass dampers are used worldwide to mitigate vibrations in structures like buildings and bridges, where excessive movement can be alarming or even sickening to occupants. They’re famously employed in landmarks like London’s Millennium Bridge, Trump World Tower in New York, and Taiwan’s Taipei 101 skyscraper, where they help minimize swaying from foot traffic and wind. The vast majority are multi-ton devices that occupy an average of 1,000 square feet and are complex and costly to install, tune, and maintain.

Setareh’s PTMD presents a revolutionary alternative to its behemoth forefather. Smaller than a nightstand and under 275 pounds, the device can be easily set up and adjusted by nontechnical personnel using a $5 iTunes application and Setareh’s instructions.