Communication apparatus and devices for surgical robotic systems are described. The communication apparatus can include a user console in communication with a communication device having a surgical tool. The communication device can include a microphone to convert a sound input into an acoustic input signal. The communication device can transmit the acoustic input signal to the user console for reproduction as a sound output for a remote operator. The surgical tool can include an endoscope having several microphones mounted on a housing. The surgical tool can be a sterile barrier having a microphone and a drape. The microphone(s) of the surgical tools can face a surrounding environment such that a tableside staff is a source of the sound input that causes the sound output, and a surgeon and the tableside staff can communicate in a noisy environment. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

An acoustic noise reduction (ANR) headphone described herein has current detection circuitry that detects current consumed by an acoustic driver amplifier as a result of pressure changes due to a tapping of the headphone. Tapping may be performed to change an audio feature or operating mode of the audio system for the headphone. The current detection circuitry senses a characteristic of the current consumed by the acoustic driver amplifier that can be used to determine an occurrence of a tap event. Examples of a characteristic include an amplitude, waveform or duration of the sensed current. Advantageously, the ANR headphones avoid the need for control buttons to initiate the desired changes to the audio feature or operating mode.

The disclosed computer-implemented method may include applying, via a sound reproduction system, sound cancellation that reduces an amplitude of various sound signals. The method further includes identifying, among the sound signals, an external sound whose amplitude is to be reduced by the sound cancellation. The method then includes analyzing the identified external sound to determine whether the identified external sound is to be made audible to a user and, upon determining that the external sound is to be made audible to the user, the method includes modifying the sound cancellation so that the identified external sound is made audible to the user. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

An unmanned aircraft includes: rotor blades; a duct that shrouds the rotor blades and through which airflow generated by rotation of the rotor blades passes; and a processor that controls rotation of the rotor blades. The height to width ratio of an inner space of the duct in which the rotor blades are shrouded is at least 0.5.

A wearable audio device includes a microphone, a speaker, and a hardware processor. The microphone is configured to receive external audio. The speaker configured to produce internal audio. The hardware processor is operably connected to the microphone and speaker. A comparison of the external audio to the internal audio is performed, and a notification is generated based upon the comparison determining that the external audio matches the internal audio.

[Object] To collect a target sound in a more suitable aspect even under an environment in which noise occurs at random. [Solution] An information processing device including: a sound collection unit; and a holding member configured to have a projection portion with a streamline shape in at least a part and hold the sound collection unit so that the sound collection unit is located at a front end or near the front end of the projection portion.

The disclosed computer-implemented method may include accessing environment information identifying an undesired sound source within an environment. The method may further include determining, based on the accessed environment information, a spatial location of the undesired sound source in the environment that is to be attenuated using an active noise cancelling (ANC) signal. The method may also include forming a microphone beam, using two or more microphones, directed at the determined spatial location, where the microphone beam is configured to capture audio information from the determined spatial location. Still further, the method may include generating an ANC signal using the audio information captured using the microphone beam, and playing back the generated ANC signal to attenuate the undesired sound source at the determined spatial location. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

A method and system for noise cancellation is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method may include receiving, from a first sensor, a first signal indicative of a noise generated by an equipment. The first sensor may be configured to generate the first signal indicative of the noise generated by the equipment. The first sensor may be positioned in proximity to the equipment. The method may further include generating a noise cancellation signal based on the first signal and triggering a speaker to generate a sound corresponding to the noise cancellation signal, wherein the speaker is positioned in proximity to the equipment.

Methods, systems, computer-readable media, and apparatuses for audio signal processing are presented. Some configurations include determining that first audio activity in at least one microphone signal is voice activity; determining whether the voice activity is voice activity of a participant in an application session active on a device; based at least on a result of the determining whether the voice activity is voice activity of a participant in the application session, generating an antinoise signal to cancel the first audio activity; and by a loudspeaker, producing an acoustic signal that is based on the antinoise signal. Applications relating to shared virtual spaces are described.

A vehicle audio system is provided with at least one loudspeaker to project sound within a room in response to receiving an audio signal. A controller is programmed to generate the audio signal based on at least one occupancy signal indicative of occupant presence and identification within the room, wherein the audio signal is indicative of at least one of anti-noise sound, synthesized engine noise (SEN), and music.