Although most of us probably cannot run out and buy the new 2017 E-Class Mercedes-Benz (suggested retail price: $52,150 and up), there’s some interesting new technology in it that you may want to know about. According to IEEE Spectrum, when this Mercedes detects the car is about to crash, it deploys a burst of “pink noise” causing an inner-ear muscle called the stapedius to contract and brace the eardrum for the earsplitting noise of the crash itself.
Pre-crash safety features in cars are not new (IEEE Spectrum cites seatbelts that instantly tighten or sunroofs that instantly close when a crash is predicted), but the notion of pink noise as a means of protecting hearing is novel. Mercedes describes this feature as “Pre-Safe Sound” (you can hear it yourself in Mercedes’ video).
IEEE Spectrum reports that the pink noise being used is approximately 80 decibels — “about equal to that of a dishwasher and completely safe.” Car crashes, IEEE explains, are potentially deafening and usually register around 145 decibels. “Worse still — and this part is not emphasized by Mercedes-Benz or any other carmaker — is the noise created by the near-instantaneous deployment of the airbag: around 165 dB,” writes Philip E. Ross. “It’s estimated that 17 percent of the people who are exposed to airbag deployment suffer some degree of permanent hearing loss.” Click here to continue reading.
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