Physical and biological aspects in active sound and vibration control

Sound is a physical phenomenon that involves mechanical waves. It exists in nature and can also be generated by man made devices. Generation of intentional sound and/or vibration fields in order to change existing sound and vibration fields is Active Sound and Vibration Control (ASVC). Active Noise and Vibration Control (ANVC) is a part of ASVC, and it means attenuation of undesired sound and noise. ANVC embraces reduction of noise and vibration in many applications, as these in the car and aircraft industries, structures and audio engineering among others. On the other hand, ASVC has many disciplines other than noise reduction, where mechanical waves couple with others or with different kinds of waves (electrical, optical, magnetic etc.) or with chemical processes. ASVC generation involves not only Hi-Tech technologies, but can be generated by other means. In nature, ASVC may it become a life or death question (in prey hunting for example). The ASVC in nature stimulates bio-mimics ideas for radar and sonar systems design, robotics, electro acoustic technologies (e.g. three-dimensional direction location and other applications). Being interdisciplinary, ASVC necessitates, for its further development, basic knowledge in physics, biology, theoretical acoustics, electro acoustics, control engineering and electrical engineering to help solve or study problems of specified characteristics. Following all the possibilities mentioned above, a new generalized concept of ASVC (or ANVC in its restricted form) is presented here.