Noise-Canceling Earphones Even Block Fire Alarms... Gu Ji-won, Doctoral Student at Pukyong National University, Wins Outstanding Paper Presentation Award

Gu Ji-won, PhD candidate at Pukyong National University.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hwang Du-yeol] A recent study has found that ‘Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) earphones,’ which have been increasingly used recently, can block not only noise but also fire alarms, potentially causing danger.

Gu Ji-won, a second-year PhD student majoring in Fire Protection Engineering at the Department of Architecture and Fire Protection Engineering, Pukyong National University, received consecutive Excellent Paper Presentation Awards at the 2022 Korean Society of Fire Science and Engineering Autumn Conference and the 19th Asian Institute of Urban Environment (AIUE2022).

Gu conducted an experiment where 20 men and women in their 20s listened to unrelated music while fire alarms such as bells or emergency broadcasts were randomly played without prior notice.

He measured and analyzed brain waves (EEG) to assess fire alarm recognition and response delay times while wearing ANC earphones, presenting the results at domestic and international academic conferences, earning recognition for his outstanding research.

According to his research, the response time from recognizing the alarm sound to starting evacuation was delayed by approximately 40 to 50 seconds when the ANC function was active compared to when it was not.

His advisor, Professor Choi Jun-ho, said, “Until now, research on ANC earphones has focused on technology related to noise reduction and hearing loss prevention, but this study began to raise awareness of the risks since ANC earphones can also cancel out car horns and fire alarms.”

Professor Choi added, “We expect this research to serve as a basis for improving domestic fire facility laws and national fire safety standards from a human-centered perspective.”

This research was conducted with support from the BK21 FOUR project, the Korea Research Foundation’s Mid-Career Researcher Support Project, and the National Fire Agency and Ministry of Science and ICT’s National Fire Cooperation Initial Response Field Support Technology Development Project.

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