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A sensor deployed by researchers measures noise levels and collects data to train an AI model to automatically recognize the origin of the sound.

A sensor deployed by researchers measures noise levels and collects data to train an AI model to automatically recognize the origin of the sound.

Courtesy of SONYC/Charlie Mydlarz

CityLab
Environment

Automating the War on Noise Pollution

To reduce noise, cities need new sensor technology that can tell the difference between a dog barking, a garbage truck and a revving motorcycle engine.

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Any city dweller is no stranger to the frequent revving of motorbikes and car engines, made all the more intolerable after the months of silence during pandemic lockdowns. Some cities have decided to take action. 

Paris police set up an anti-noise patrol in 2020 to ticket motorists whose vehicles exceed a certain decibel level, and soon, the city will start piloting the use of noise sensors in two neighborhoods. Called Medusa, each device uses four microphones to detect and measure noise levels, and two cameras to help authorities track down the culprit. No decibel threshold or fines will be set during the three-month trial period, according to French newspaper Liberation, but it’ll test the potentials and limits of automating the war on sound pollution.

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