SMILE¶

SMILE: Soundscape engineering with Metamaterial Innovation and LEarning is a Swedish Research Council (VR) research project (2026–2029).

We develop an integrated engineering framework that combines:

• Soundscape design (human-centered design + perception)
• Acoustic metamaterials (advanced structures that manipulate sound waves)
• Machine learning (ML) for inverse design and optimization

The goal is to go beyond decibel reduction and instead enable pleasant, healthy, and context-appropriate sound environments.

What we aim to deliver¶

• A perceptually-driven inverse design loop connecting acoustic simulation → ML optimization → human validation
• Novel metamaterial concepts for broadband sound management, including adaptive / topological approaches
• Open research outputs: publications, software, datasets, and demonstrators

Why it matters¶

Environmental noise is traditionally treated as a pollutant. SMILE explores how sound can be managed as a resource—reducing harmful noise while shaping better soundscapes in vehicles and cities.

Independent review highlights¶

From the VR review panel (Natural and Engineering Sciences, NT‑N):

“This is a very strong application with only minor weaknesses… The goal is to go beyond simple noise reduction and instead engineer more pleasant and healthy soundscapes.”

“The concept of a perceptually driven inverse design loop is highly original and presents significant practical challenges.”

(Quoted from the final statement from the review panel for the application.)