Noise Snare – photo radar for loud vehicles
By Ben Coxworth
Gizmag News article


Watch it in action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvH0krMJ3Ek


It's a situation that everyone has experienced - you're walking down the street, when a vehicle drives by that's so loud, people cover their ears and cast angry glances at the driver. You assume that it's illegal to use a muffler that's so ineffective, or to have a stereo turned up that high, but if it is ... how come so many people seemingly get away with it? Well, part of the reason is manpower. While speeders and red-light-runners can be ticketed in the thousands using automated systems, actual police officers need to go out and manually check cars and motorcycles for noise violations. The designer of Noise Snare, however, claims that his unmanned system can automatically detect and identify overly-audible vehicles.

Noise Snare was invented by Mark Nesdoly, an electrical engineer from Edmonton, Canada. He was inspired to create it after a neighbor's loud motorcycle woke up his young daughter.

The system can be covertly mounted on a vehicle, which is then parked and left unattended at a location that municipalities wish to monitor. Once everything is armed, a microphone proceeds to register noise levels of passing vehicles. When a vehicle that exceeds legal noise levels is detected, a video camera captures footage of it, which is recorded - along with stereo audio - to DVD. Information such as the time, date and location of the infraction are superimposed on the footage, along with the vehicle's sound level in decibels. (Works just like a red light camera or speed trap...)

As with photo radar, vehicle owners are identified via license plate numbers on the footage. Users can simply view the DVD to find out who's getting a ticket, or the system can notify them as it detects violations, via text messages or email. According to Nesdoly's company, Street Noise Reduction Systems, the system is able to accurately identify which specific vehicle is the guilty party, even in heavy traffic or on multi-lane roads.

The city of Calgary will start testing the Noise Snare within the next couple of months, pending council approval, and may become its first adopter.



LESSON LEARNED: Technology is a *****.

 

The loudest vehicles, though, are usually motorcycles (especially Harley Hogs), and, in most areas, they are not required to even have mufflers. Most buyers take the factory-mufflers off as soon as the bikes are delivered, and run straight-pipes. Some places, of course, have noise-ordinances, but they are rarely enforced. In fact, where I live, there are noise-ordinances which the local Harley shop routinely breaks, but the city government usually just looks the other way because that shop not only sells the area's police-bikes, but repairs and maintains them as well....can't shut down the shop that supports you.

 

With this new technology, it will be much easier to enforce, especially in sensitive areas such as hospitals, schools, libraries, and the such.

True.

Cars/motorcycles with loud pipes (and other illegal modifications) will always be around. This method of enforcement will keep such drivers/riders away from places that won't welcome them.

For example, most beaches in SoCal frown upon loud cars/motorcycles and regularly ticket such violations. But if you go more inland, cops could care less. Same goes for tourist-heavy areas: it's easy to get a modified exhaust, improper front window tint, and no front license plate ticket in Hollyweird, Downtown L.A, and Santa Monica; just because they're tourist friendly.

 

That sux!

THis new technology will catch on as the new revenue-generating technology much like red-light/speed cameras. Especially with state/city/county debts increasing, they will see this as an opportunity to help resolve their money problems.

 

A logical use of existing technologies.

 

What a way to invest our tax dollars...

much better than fixing the streets & bridges.

 

They definitely should be fixing our streets and bridges instead of finding ways to make more money out of drivers.