Having a Sound Argument-Adina Friedman

Our plan is for our device will be able to alert the people around it through sound.

But which sound to use?

Our original idea was to have two different recordings, one which said “Back off” and another crying for “Help.” This ideas appealed to us, because it would give the user more options, and they could go on the offensive, or call for assistance. But, when we started researching our options, we were unable to find any realistic way to program a speaker with those two sounds. Our most plausible option was “Build a Sound” from build a bear. The problem was that we would only have one try to get the recording right, and it would only play one. As a result of these issues, we started to look for other sounds.

Kyrie's Macaw sounds did not make the cut
Kyrie’s Macaw sounds did not make the cut

We looked first at sirens (which resulted in Kyrie and I imitating them). But the decision was ultimately against sirens. because they tend to mean bad news. The concern was that this would make people run away from the user, instead of towards them

Eventually, we decided on a piezo buzzer. This type of buzzer is usually seen in kids experiments, as it is cheap, and doesn’t need a sophisticated circuit to work, but despite this, many people use it for homemade door alarms and as a horn for bicycles. It made a very loud sound (not that the man in the video says “earmuffs on” before activating it), and-as evidenced by Leidy looking over at our table in alarm when we watched the video- it definitely attracts attention.

Looking at the specifications, the one we purchased was small enough to slip inside our flashlight, loud enough to still be heard while in that location, and cheap, but well reviewed.

And if you're going to use a siren, you have to spring for an air-raid one.
And if you’re going to use a siren, you have to spring for an air-raid one.

 

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