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Gaining momentum with police departments nationwide, including New York, Washington, and Chicago is a new kind of siren, one that promises to get the attention of even the most oblivious of motorists. Fittingly dubbed The Rumbler, the siren (above right) consists of a pair of subwoofers that produce low-frequency tones complementary to the familiar high-pitched wail. As a traditional siren is heard, the Rumbler is felt. Intended to penetrate solid objects (e.g., closed car windows or the chest cavity of a pedestrian) and overrun ambient noise-makers (car audio systems and iPods), or to physically get the attention of elderly drivers, the Rumbler does call to mind "brown noise," a semi-mythical ultra-low-frequency tone purportedly employed as a weapon during World War II (and as a modern-day crowd dispersant) that prompts the listener's anal sphincter to relax causing him or her to, um, lose control. We haven't heard anything yet regarding the Rumbler's effect on vibration-sensitive car alarms, or backlash from neighborhoods roused from sleep by passing Rumbler vibrations.
On that note, have a listen to the Rumbler, courtesy of The New York Times:
Dodge Charger photo courtesy of Chrysler LLC; Rumbler photo courtesy of Federal Signal.
