Please help me help the deaf!

Hello,

My name is Tim, I'm from Germany, and I want to share an idea with you. If you already know of something that does a similar thing -- please let me know!

A year ago, I was introduced to my new neighbour, which is deaf (I am not, btw). When we first met I noticed rather quickly that it must be incredible difficult for him to tell what noises really do matter when it comes to "beeing too loud", especially if you have some overly sensitive neighbours living in your house, like we do, or if you aren't producing those noises yourself (your kids might, etc..).

So the basic idea is to design a device that is able to not only measure sound levels in your rooms, but also analyze it and give it a loudness-rating based on the level of subjective, human perception. This information could be used to visualize perceived noise levels by, for example, neighbours or whatever setting you choose (and that depends on what would be interesting to YOU - let me know!). Advanced features would be possible as well, say for example a connection to already existing alarm/notification systems that you might already be using, like flashing door "bells", etc, thus giving you a quick feedback if, for example, your kids are too loud.

I researched several different technologies that are able to accomplish this analysis, to the point that I'm confident that such a device would be possible to engineer and build.

The real question now for me is... How much public interest is there in such a product? If there is any, how much would such a system be worth to you?

It's not about finding out how much money one could squeeze out of potential customers, but to assess what technologies in question are an option for potential development (because some are very expensive but work much better, for example).

Thanks for you help, and maybe one day I might be able to help you! If you have any questions, related or not, please let me know.

For me, I would find a flashing light irritating. It's fine for an alarm in the morning, etc., but if you have loud kids will it be constantly flashing?

There was another thread recently regarding loudness, and honestly, most of us have common sense. Sometimes we do need to be told by someone else that something is too loud (because we truly didn't know,) but once we're told that, then that pretty much takes care of that.

I would assume if a parent is being told their kids are too loud, then they need to take responsibility to keep the kids quieter by constantly reminding them.

Thank you for your feedback.

A flashing alarm is only one of many options. The main idea would be a small device, similar to a router, that has an array of LEDs that give a visiual feedback, much like a dB-meter. Thresholds and where it outputs would be configurable and successive alarms might be suppressed after a certain amount of time. Want only your watch to vibrate? Alright. Want lights to go with it? Here you go! Also, this thing would ONLY alarm you if something if really loud to a point that it would be considered a disturbance - That is the whole point of the analysis. One might set it to a different level. So there are solutions, but thats way ahead of where I am now.

There was another thread recently regarding loudness, and honestly, most of us have common sense. Sometimes we do need to be told by someone else that something is too loud (because we truly didn't know,) but once we're told that, then that pretty much takes care of that.

I would assume if a parent is being told their kids are too loud, then they need to take responsibility to keep the kids quieter by constantly reminding them.

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Well, I was assuming that, too. But apparently my neighbour has A LOT of troubles with this, especially because of his very "active" kids. It really got worse in the last month. He told me that he is afraid of angry neighbours contantly ringing his door bell and such. That is the reason I thought about this device in the first place. I then started looking at some german forums and there were numerous people that had similar problems -- Might be a german thing. Neighbours in gereral tend to be more sensitive here in germany, I think.

Other possible features that came to my mind: "Knock on door"-detection, intrusion detection.

/EDITED

engineer said:

Thank you for your feedback.

A flashing alarm is only one of many options. The main idea would be a small device, similar to a router, that has an array of LEDs that give a visiual feedback, much like a dB-meter. Thresholds and where it outputs would be configurable and successive alarms might be suppressed after a certain amount of time. Want only your watch to vibrate? Alright. Want lights to go with it? Here you go! Also, this thing would ONLY alarm you if something if really loud to a point that it would be considered a disturbance - That is the whole point of the analysis. One might set it to a different level. So there are solutions, but thats way ahead of where I am now.

Well, I was assuming that, too. But apparently my neighbour has A LOT of troubles with this, especially because of his very "active" kids. It really got worse in the last month. He told me that he is afraid of angry neighbours contantly ringing his door bell and such. That is the reason I thought about this device in the first place. I then started looking at some german forums and there were numerous people that had similar problems -- Might be a german thing. Neighbours in gereral tend to be more sensitive here in germany, I think.

Other possible features that came to my mind: "Knock on door"-detection, intrusion detection.

/EDITED

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I could see something smaller like a vibrating watch as a better option, sure.

And, I didn't mean to imply that you thought we didn't have common sense. I think I took that from the other thread.

Hopefully others can chime in with ideas. (One thing I'm thinking of is that I'm married to a hearing person, so if I'm ever too loud, he would tell me. However, I used to be married to a deaf person before that, and I never felt the need for a device alerting me to loudness, so I wonder how big a market you would have. Just FWIW.)

I also don't really see a need for such a device. If we are too loud, let the neighbors come over and complain.

Now what you can invent is a device that goes in our automobiles which makes sure that we have turned off the ignition before getting out of the car and leaving it.

People have been known to die from carbon monoxide poisoning by driving into their garage and accidentally leaving the car running, because they can't hear the engine, going to bed and never waking up.

Annie09Z said:

I also don't really see a need for such a device. If we are too loud, let the neighbors come over and complain.

Now what you can invent is a device that goes in our automobiles which makes sure that we have turned off the ignition before getting out of the car and leaving it.

People have been known to die from carbon monoxide poisoning by driving into their garage and accidentally leaving the car running, because they can't hear the engine, going to bed and never waking up.

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People had also dies when they backed their car in a show bank and turn the car to warm it up , there should be a carbon monoxide detector in cars
to warn people to open the windows before getting in their car.

Annie09Z said:

I also don't really see a need for such a device. If we are too loud, let the neighbors come over and complain.

Now what you can invent is a device that goes in our automobiles which makes sure that we have turned off the ignition before getting out of the car and leaving it.

People have been known to die from carbon monoxide poisoning by driving into their garage and accidentally leaving the car running, because they can't hear the engine, going to bed and never waking up.

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If I'm not mistaken, there's already a lawsuit happening right now over leaving them running in the garage and causing CO poisoning. The engines are entirely too quiet, I as a deaf person cannot hear it at all. That's totally how I left it running at work, didn't even hear it still running.

...(some of these posts).......I've even vacuumed before and the plug wasn't in the outlet.......was in a hurry, otherwise I would have paid attention to the vibes....friend walked in as I was "air vacuuming" and said...."what are you doing?"...

Yeah, my car runs so quietly....thought I had turned on the ignition all the way and tried to put it into reverse...but wouldn't move....My friend said...."you've got to start the car before backing up"....

And...running water in the sink!...So many things....guessing some of us deafies are lucky to be alive and not committed to the loony bin!...

rockin'robin said:

...(some of these posts).......I've even vacuumed before and the plug wasn't in the outlet.......was in a hurry, otherwise I would have paid attention to the vibes....friend walked in as I was "air vacuuming" and said...."what are you doing?"...

Yeah, my car runs so quietly....thought I had turned on the ignition all the way and tried to put it into reverse...but wouldn't move....My friend said...."you've got to start the car before backing up"....

And...running water in the sink!...So many things....guessing some of us deafies are lucky to be alive and not committed to the loony bin!...

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Yeah, Robin, I'm always vacuuming with the power off, no wonder it's never clean when I'm done. I blame it on the machine and think I need a new one. The on/off button is right where I hold the wand, and I keep hitting the off button by mistake, can't hear it whether it's on or off.

RR...you made me laugh this early in the morning with your vacuum story. I haven't done that yet but I have done others. I have left my car running, left the garbage disposal running and set off the house alarm for over an hour without hearing it.

I've air-vacuumed before too! Funny, I thought I was the only one who did that.

At least our current vacuum really vibrates when it's going, so now I know if I'm air-vacuuming or not.

AlleyCat said:

I've air-vacuumed before too! Funny, I thought I was the only one who did that.

At least our current vacuum really vibrates when it's going, so now I know if I'm air-vacuuming or not.

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I love that "air vacuuming", made me

Angel1989 said:

RR...you made me laugh this early in the morning with your vacuum story. I haven't done that yet but I have done others. I have left my car running, left the garbage disposal running and set off the house alarm for over an hour without hearing it.

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I had left the bathroom and stove fan all day and I trying to think what it that damn sound ! UGH ! I can hear them when I turn my HA way up but not when it turned way down. I wish the switches lite up when you put a fans on .

Calvin said:

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Lol. I don't quite look like that when I vacuum. I'm not normally THAT happy to vacuum. but I could totally see rockin robin doing this!

whatdidyousay! said:

I had left the bathroom and stove fan all day and I trying to think what it that damn sound ! UGH ! I can hear them when I turn my HA way up but not when it turned way down. I wish the switches lite up when you put a fans on .

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In my last house that I built, the bathroom fans had a very very tiny light that would flash when it was turned on. Both upper and lower bathroom fans were connected, so if one was turned on, so did the other. I don't think it was a deaf product. It was probably more to alert one bathroom user that the other fan was already on, I think. I never pain attention though to it because those fans had an automatic shut off after 20 minutes.

I've seen light switches where when it is turned off there is a tiny orange glow. Might be a little hard to see in daylight though.

DeafDucky said:

I've seen light switches where when it is turned off there is a tiny orange glow. Might be a little hard to see in daylight though.

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I've seen those too. Never had one of those, though.

At many public places, bathroom lights are motion-sensored. So, they come on/off when you enter or leave. I wonder if there's such a product for fans?

My garbage disposal ran itself out......so did the vent above my stove...last week. my friend came over to chat...(she's hearing)...kept hearing water running...to find I left the bathtub water faucet on...she cut it off for me and said ""gotta watch that"...well...made me all huffy!