SBIR Phase I: Cloud-based Acoustic Simulation Service

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目旨在开发使用云计算对建筑物中的声学进行精确建模的新方法。对声波行为进行可靠的建模是一个困难的问题。研究人员最近开发了一种称为自适应矩形分解(ARD)的算法，可以准确地对声学进行建模。但考虑到当今台式机和笔记本电脑的内存和处理能力，ARD只能在小型建筑或低频率下工作。让ARD在复杂的现实世界中工作的唯一方法是通过将其转移到云中，同时在多台计算机上运行它。ARD基于数学技术，这使得在云中进行扩展变得困难。这是因为单独的计算机(或计算节点)必须不断地相互发送数据，从而减慢整体模拟的速度。在这个项目中，该公司将开发新的算法来仔细管理这种数据交换，并将模拟工作均匀分布在多个计算节点上。这将允许更快的声学模拟。它还将使为所有可听到的声音频率可靠地对大空间的声学进行建模成为现实。该项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力涉及建筑设计的许多方面。基于云的声学模拟服务(CBASS)面向建筑师和声学顾问。美国有超过105,000名建筑师、17,500家建筑公司和2,000名声学顾问。声学模拟是一个23亿美元的市场。CBass将用于在建筑建成前了解建筑的声学，减少花费在解决声学问题上的时间和金钱。通过在云中运行，CBass还将减少建筑师和声学顾问购买昂贵计算机的需要，并允许他们使用笔记本电脑、平板电脑或智能手机运行和监控模拟。它还将加快建筑设计进程。我们将向学生提供免费的CBASS订阅；这将有助于培训下一代建筑师在设计阶段的早期考虑声学。更广泛地说，更多地使用声学模拟将为每个人带来更好的声音空间：更有利于学习的教室，更有利于康复的医院，更愉快的剧院，以及更安静的家。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project aims to develop new ways of using cloud computing to accurately model acoustics in buildings. Reliably modeling the behavior of sound waves is a difficult problem. Researchers have recently developed an algorithm called Adaptive Rectangular Decomposition (ARD), which can accurately model acoustics. But given the amount of memory and processing power found in desktop and laptop computers today, ARD can only work on small buildings or for low frequencies. The only way to make ARD work in complex, real-world situations is to run it on multiple computers at the same time, by moving it to the cloud. ARD is based on mathematical techniques that make it difficult to scale in the cloud. This is because individual computers (or compute nodes) must keep sending data to each other, slowing down the overall simulation. In this project, the company will develop new algorithms to carefully manage this data exchange and evenly distribute the simulation work across multiple compute nodes. This will allow much faster acoustic simulation. It will also make it practical to reliably model the acoustics of large spaces for all audible sound frequencies.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project touches many aspects of architectural design. The cloud-based acoustic simulation service (CBASS) is aimed at architects and acoustical consultants. There are more than 105,000 architects, 17,500 architecture firms, and 2,000 acoustical consultants in the US. Acoustic simulation is a $2.3 billion market. CBASS will be used to understand the acoustics of a building before it is built, reducing the time and money spent on fixing acoustic issues. By running in the cloud, CBASS will also reduce the need for architects and acoustical consultants to buy costly computers, and will let them run and monitor simulations using laptops, tablets, or smartphones. It will also speed up the architectural design process. We will offer free subscriptions to CBASS to students; this will help train the next generation of architects to think about acoustics at an earlier point in the design phase. More generally, increased use of acoustic simulation will lead to better sounding spaces for everyone: classrooms that are more conducive to learning, hospitals that more conducive to healing, more enjoyable theaters, and quieter homes.