Ever wondered how well playing Call of Duty at maximum volume mimics a true combat experience? Researchers on the Missouri University of Science and Technology should have asked an analogous question, because they’ve built a 64-speaker surround-sound audio battlefield designed to coach new troops. The system reproduces screaming fighter jets, rumbling tanks, and chronic gunfire — all of the better to house recruits to the overpowering, disorienting cacophony of warfare. Veterans say inspite of the four large 20-hertz subwoofers, it’s nowhere near the genuine thing: combat volume is 25 percent louder than the common rock concert, at levels that could cause permanent hearing loss. Still, the creators say each bit of coaching helps; having near-combat experience is unquestionably better than none in any respect. So tell that on your neighbors next time they bang for your wall.
[Image via The Associated Press ]
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