Often, we require peace and tranquillity to stay in mind, or in other words, stay sane. Apparently, silence is the most powerful scream. But as it turns out, too much quietness can drive you nuts! Here, in the world’s quietest room, sound-less-ness becomes absolutely unbearable over a short period.
The room holds the Guinness World Record for the world’s quietest place. The sound level in here is -9 to -23 decibels, which is much less than the average quiet room’s 30.
The longest one has survived in the ‘anechoic (no-echo) chamber’ is only 45 minutes! It was designed by scientists at Orfield Laboratories in South Minneapolis. If people stay in here too long, they may start hallucinating. Furthermore, they are unable to stand and experience disorientation. Also, people’s perception becomes skewed.
WHERE DOES THE SOUND GO TO DIE?
The key to the level of silence is the structure of the room. The floor, ceiling, together with walls absorb 99.99% of the total sound. It achieves the ultra-quietness under 3.3 foot-thick fibreglass acoustic wedges, double walls of insulated steel and foot-thick concrete.
The company’s founder and the president were quoted saying that by this, they try to challenge people to remain in the chamber in the dark. Apparently, the quieter the room, the more things one hears. Eventually, people begin to listen to their heart beats, lungs respiring, and stomach gurgling loudly. Moreover, it is said that in the anechoic chamber, the person standing inside becomes the sound. In fact, the experience is so disconcerting that people must sit down.
APPLICATIONS OF THE QUIETEST ROOM
- Various manufacturers use the chamber to test and develop the loudness of their products.
- Additionally, it determines product sound quality.
- Companies like Whirlpool and Harley Davidson use the lab to create quieter products.
- LED displays are tested to make sure they are not too loud.
- Moreover, NASA uses a similar chamber to test its astronauts. It helps astronauts to help them stay focused.
