Listen to what a baby hears - Investigating the sound field before birth

Institut

Lehrstuhl für Akustik mobiler Systeme

Typ

Masterarbeit /

Inhalt

theoretisch /  

Beschreibung

Currently, up to 50% of all premature infants suffer from hearing and speech recognition disabilities. Here, the state-of-the-art research gives evidence that this circumstance results, besides other additional factors, from the sudden change of the sound environment. Inside the womb the infant is placed in a natural liquid while being exposed to air after birth. Furthermore, it is well-known that the acoustic environment for a baby inside the womb is defined by sound sources such as heart beat, blood vessel flow, digestion as well as external sources, e.g. speech, music, etc. However, it is still unknown what an infant hears exactly because for obvious reasons it is not possible to place microphones at the infants ear position. Here, numerical simulations offer interesting insights into the
sound propagation within a womb. Therefore, to deeper understand the acoustic field before birth appropriate models need to be developed. With this work, it will be possible to derive propagation models in a womb which will further facilitate experimental measurements that are safe for both the mother and the child and will help to understand the sound experience of infants before birth. If outstanding results can be achieved, it is intended to publish the work in an international journal

Voraussetzungen

High interest in cutting edge research
High interest in theory, sound, vibration, wave propagation
Solid knowledge of math and engineering mechanics

Möglicher Beginn

sofort

Kontakt

Dr.-Ing. Marcus Mäder
Raum: MW1535
Tel.: +49 89 289 55123
Marcus.Maedertum.de

Ausschreibung