Ranchlands hum app asks residents to track mysterious sound

Researchers at the University of Calgary hope to pin down the source of a troublesome hum in Ranchlands with the help of a phone app.

Residents in the northwest community have complained about a "hum" or low frequency moan for several years.

• Ranchlands hum mystery still stumps researchers

(not applicable)0:09Listen to the Ranchlands hum

Residents in a northwest community have complained about a "hum" or low frequency moan for several years.

"The biggest problem we've got inRanchlandsis that only some people can hear the hum, and it bothers people that they're hearing the hum and other people can't hear it," saidMike Smith, whoteaches computer and electrical engineering at the University of Calgary.

"We wanted to give people a simple mechanism to record the hum so they could play it back and show people that it really exists."

Smith andhis students are hoping tocapture the approximately40-hertzhumthroughout the community by developingan Android Smartphoneapp to record it. He hopes it will be ready by September.

The project is getting help froman exchange studentworking withMitacs Globallinkandis building on workpreviously done bySmith's students.

The app measures the frequency of the sound waves.The lower the frequency becomes, a wider area is required to detect it, says Smith.

Network needed

He said putting a network across the community would help to collect the sound so researchers could analyze it.

They'll have to figure out if there is morethan one problem noise source, theninvestigate whether they can match the noise and vibration in someone's home tosomewhere in industry.

"We're interested inis it possible to use a couple ofmicrophones and pick up the sound and use a home theatre system and broadcast the anti-noise hum and do a sound cancelation,but that's very difficult,"said Smith.

Smith says while the research is fascinating, it's alsoimportant for residents in Ranchlands.

"Ifthey can't sleep, it's a health issue," he said.

As for hunches about where thenoisemay be coming from, Smith says there are a few.

"People's basements might be vibrating from some vibration and they hear it in their housebut people next door, their basement is something differentso they don't hear it," he said.

People interested in taking part in the project can contactTheHum@ucalgary.cato find out how to participate andhow to get the app. There is also a websiteto help track mysterious hums in the Calgary area.