Noise-canceling headphones can't block out this genius bike bell

"The DuoBell works by emitting two sounds the headphone can't cancel. One sound is designed to be within a frequency in ANC's narrow blind spot that it can't invert, and another is too fast and confusing for ANC to process."

"Bicycle bells have remained almost unchanged for over a century, but the world around them has not. The need for a smarter bike bell comes as cycling and noise-canceling headphone use grow simultaneously."

"The team determined DuoBell's frequency using acoustic testing that found headphones with ANC had a hard time scrambling sounds in a narrow frequency range between 750 and 780 hertz."

The DuoBell, developed by Škoda in collaboration with researchers, targets pedestrians wearing noise-canceling headphones. It emits two specific sounds that cannot be canceled by Active Noise Cancellation technology. One sound falls within a frequency range that ANC struggles to process, while the other is too rapid for ANC to handle. This innovation addresses the rising risk of cyclist-pedestrian collisions, particularly as headphone use increases. Škoda plans to share its research findings publicly to enhance safety for cyclists and pedestrians alike.

Read at Fast Company