World’s Quietest Room Will Make You Hallucinate

What would you do if all you could hear was your stomach, ears and blood?

Somewhere deep in the heart of Minnesota lies an anechoic chamber, also known as the world’s quietest room. It’s been known to drive men mad, with the longest stay being a mere 45 minutes.

The sound level in the room is -9 decibels, which is the Guinness World Record. To put things in perspective, an average “quiet” room’s sound level is still 30 decibels.

Just how does it work?

In the anechoic chamber, the walls, floor and ceiling absorb all sound, rather than reflecting it, as most surfaces do. Anechoic literally means no echo, which we are certainly not accustomed to.

Why would they create this room besides to torture someone?

A company called Orfield Labs uses the room to test products, including switches that go on car dashboards and the sound an LED display makes on a cell phone to make sure they’re not too loud.

What do you think? Would you ever lock yourself in an anechoic chamber?

Discovery, MPR

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