- [Steve] The anechoic chamber
is a test lab for doing acoustic testing.
It's a chamber within a chamber within a chamber.
- [Woman] That's Steve.
- [Steve] I'm Steve Orfield, the founder of
Orfield Laboratories in Minneapolis.
- [Woman] And we're talking about what it feels like
to sit in one of the quietest rooms on earth.
An anechoic chamber is a room that absorbs sound.
So, it's quiet.
- [Steve] When we put subjects in the anechoic chamber,
we sit them in a chair, and we turn off the lights.
- [Woman] It turns out that the only noises
you'd hear in there are noises
that come from inside your own body.
- [Steve] Right away, you'll usually hear
the sound of your ears buzzing.
You'll start to hear the joints
in your arms and in your legs,
like the sound of rubbing two pieces of wood together.
(wood grinding)
You'll clearly hear your heart beating.
Kind of a boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.
(heart thumping)
The flow of the air into your lungs.
(lungs inhaling and exhaling)
- [Woman] And sounds from inside your body
that you might've heard outside the chamber
are suddenly so much louder.
- [Steve] Any noise that would be startling
outside the chamber would be
16 times as startling inside the chamber.
- [Woman] Noises like your stomach growling,
(thunderous growling)
or your knuckles cracking.
(knuckles cracking and popping)
People don't last that long inside.
- [Steve] Maybe an hour and 15 minutes.
- [Woman] And that's mainly because of one of two reasons.
- [Steve] Some people find that very relaxing.
Some people find that fearful or claustrophobic.
- [Woman] One person's peace and quiet
is another's personal nightmare.
(whimsical music)