It is often said that one can learn a great deal by simply listening. Researchers in the United Kingdom are certainly proving this true with a device that relies on acoustic sensors to detect the earliest stages of landslides. These sensors "listen" for movement in the soil. When the rates at which acoustic signals are generated reach a determined threshold, the device sends a signal to authorities warning that a landslide is imminent. Researchers in Loughborough University's civil and building engineering department developed this acoustic landslide monitoring system, known as ALARMS, in collaboration with the British Geological Survey. Neil Dixon, a professor of geotechnical engineering at Loughborough, led the research, together with Matthew Spriggs, Ph.D., a research associate at the university.
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