Project Summary

Loud vehicles are a global health hazard and social nuisance. Unfortunately, it’s difficult for law enforcement to isolate the sound of a single vehicle in noisy urban environments. To solve this, General Noise is using “laser listening”, a technique that can focus on single vehicles’ noise which was first developed for military and espionage purposes. The company has adapted a police radar that successfully measured vehicle noise under laboratory conditions. With TRIG funding, the same technology can now be tested in real-world conditions. The project will scrutinise radar’s performance against a range of vehicle body shapes commonly found on public roads.

Project Achievements

General Noise Ltd’s radar-based noise detection system offers robust legal validity by directly attributing noise to individual vehicles. Developed in collaboration with radar manufacturer Anteral, the prototype is not only cost-effective—with component cost <£700 —but also portable, weighing just 700g and operable via iPad. Unlike expensive, complex microphone arrays that provide probabilistic targeting, this radar system offers precise targeting. The project also discovered optimal radar frequencies to avoid interference from extraneous vehicle radars

Conclusions

Radar promises a legally sound and widely deployable method for enforcing noise regulations, especially against modified cars and motorcycles. Our project successfully demonstrated a proof-of-concept noise radar for enforcing vehicle noise limits. Developed in collaboration with Anteral, the radar overcame key technical challenges and validated its capabilities in a real-world setting, advancing its technology readiness level. Although the prototype has some limitations, like restricted sampling rates and power output, it showed promise in overcoming drawbacks of existing noise cameras. The project identified next steps, such as improving radar power and integrating ANPR. We emphasise the broader societal benefits of noise reduction for public health and quality of life.

Next Steps

The project’s next steps for commercialization involve securing policy clarification from the DfT and obtaining grant funding for further live trials, particularly for developing a higher-power 60 GHz radar. Collaboration with ANPR or speed camera manufacturers is also crucial for technology integration. While there are provisional interests from manufacturers, formal collaborations await policy clarity. Being part of the TRIG programme ha s been a boon, providing essential de-risking and converting what started as a garage project into a technology with global potential.