I love this. I read so much criticism here, but noise pollution is a main issue when it comes to railroads in residential zones.<p>Yes, punctuality is an issue with Deutsche Bahn. No, this doesn’t fix that instantly. But as an organisation you can work on two things at the same time.<p>This invention is spectacular. I wish more people would work on noise pollution. It makes a huge difference.
> a transparent noise barrier<p>Most rail noise barriers in Germany are completely covered in graffiti [0], so I wouldn't expect them to remain transparent for more than a few weeks.<p>[0] <a href="https://ga.de/imgs/93/8/5/9/3/0/9/1/9/tok_8596521c60eeaa53eea42eea57c8b7dc/w1200_h630_x662_y525_GA_85197421_2005565667_RGB_190_1_1_2d14a73e871971ed95a819ea6b69b342_1593349745_2005565667_77b22cacaf-f8bed87dc312e74a.jpg" rel="nofollow">https://ga.de/imgs/93/8/5/9/3/0/9/1/9/tok_8596521c60eeaa53ee...</a>
This article goes into a little more detail:
<a href="https://www.heise.de/en/news/MetaWindow-Laermschutz-an-Gleisen-wird-durchsichtig-9719706.html" rel="nofollow">https://www.heise.de/en/news/MetaWindow-Laermschutz-an-Gleis...</a><p>And the PhotonicVibes site is here:
<a href="https://phononic-vibes.com/metawindow-for-railway/" rel="nofollow">https://phononic-vibes.com/metawindow-for-railway/</a><p>Here is a demo video for a meta material made by them:
<a href="https://youtu.be/NElK8qKRrBU?si=CfBjUESlu_XUvnn_" rel="nofollow">https://youtu.be/NElK8qKRrBU?si=CfBjUESlu_XUvnn_</a>
A semi-related surprising fact I only learned recently is that the ultra-long nose of Japanese bullet trains is not for aerodynamics, but to reduce noise. Specifically, "tunnel boom."<p>Random source:
<a href="https://www.jrpass.com/blog/why-shinkansen-bullet-trains-no-longer-look-like-a-bullet" rel="nofollow">https://www.jrpass.com/blog/why-shinkansen-bullet-trains-no-...</a>
The quality of my life would be better improved through public transportation and these sound absorbers than almost any app I use. Hooray for basic infrastructure.
My hart jumped when I initially thought that they had implemented an idea that I had once.<p>Turns out MetaWindow is <i>not</i> an augmented reality display in the train's window, where one can read information on the scenery that one passes through while traveling. What is that city in the distance? When was that church built? How many cows are in that meadow? Stuff one has to know.
They specifically mention railway noise. I wonder whether there's something special about railways, or whether it would work for other noise as well? Especially roads with cars on them?
Okay it's clear-ish...but where's the noise level sample vs. the alternatives?<p>edit: I did find this cool demo of a similar product of theirs, but seems to be nothing more online about the noise barrier.<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUee93HcPVQ" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUee93HcPVQ</a>
Lots of negative comments on this. I, for one, am glad to see work that supports better transport infrastructure while not being insanely ugly like a lot of transport infrastructure is (like the giant concrete birds nests of highways in US cities). I want to live in cities that are visually appealing.
I can't find it any more but I read a paper decades ago on the sound modulation effects of different plants, at scale and how designed planting around motorways can help reduce local resident impact.
Cool, one day CP will install those along their tracks and my high-rise will shake silently every time <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMD_F59PH#F59PHI" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMD_F59PH#F59PHI</a> departs from the station.
They don't give any numbers on the amount of resistances to the expansion of the infrastructure, based on noise alone.<p>This reads like a "we did a cool thing" but without qualitatively demonstrating the merits for the need.
Or you could follow the way of thinking practiced by planners in London:<p>Analyst: "We could really use a bridge here..."
Decision Maker: "I hear you, let's dig a tunnel!"
The startup behind the tech:
- <a href="https://phononic-vibes.com/about-us/" rel="nofollow">https://phononic-vibes.com/about-us/</a>
This is an international site and I think people don’t understand just how big Deutsche Bahn’s problems with delays are and how incredible dissatisfied its customers are. The situation with DB is really unique compared to its neighbors in any direction.<p>While the tech described probably has merits, anyone who has been near DB lately would instinctively go: why are you doing this when you cannot get the basics right?
How about replacing antiques with modern trains? Repairing tracks? Electrifying all tracks? Those steps would not only reduce noise, but actually make their service usable.
>Its design minimizes visual disruptions,<p>It's kind of laughable to see this giant, pristine pane of glass in the middle of a city on a train track. The photographer must have come the first day, because by the next this will be covered in graffiti. Which, presumably, won't at all affect its function as a sound barrier, but it think graffiti on a solid background is less grating than graffiti on a clear background will be.
Ok, now they have an excuse to employ a crew to keep them clean like any other window-like product... instead of it just being a wall? I don't get it.
I think the reason DB introduces this kind of measures over the obviously superior first steps like "building a quieter train" is this: Walls are paid for by the state or community annoyed by the train noise. New or improved trains would be paid for by DB (a nominally private company).<p>Which is why stuff like "putting quieter brakes on freight trains that don't sound like fingernails on a chalk board" will take at least 20 more years if it will happen at all.
A startup with wrong product focus would be insolvent in a few months. Deutsche Bahn can rot for decades spending money on technology that would not make any difference when a quarter of its trains is delayed or cancelled.
> MetaWindow, a transparent noise barrier boasting unparalleled sound-absorbing capabilities<p>This is about a physical product. Not a software window; and unrelated to Meta, of Facebook and Instagram fame.