Improved ear defenders enable selective hearing NPL's acoustic and materials experts were involved in a large European project to design novel ear-defender technology to prevent noise-induced hearing loss. The project known as Piezoselex ('Piezo Pair Materials for the Selective Exclusion of Workplace Noise') was funded by Europe's Framework 7 programme. The Challenge Many people will be familiar with the 'ringing' in one's ears after leaving a noisy environment such as a factory, nightclub, or concert. Where people are exposed to noise levels in excess of 80 dB, many experience noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). There are various ways of protecting your ears (e.g. various in-ear plugs, or external ear defenders), but many of them involved cutting down all sound frequencies before they reac

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