Re: acoustic foam and soundproofing

[Mike Ravicz <Mike_Ravicz@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Virginie,

>  we would like to soundproof a small tactile stimulus delivery device.
> it would be best if that material does not cause artefact in fMRI or  
> EEG/MEG environments.

We have had good results with E.A.R. E-0-10-25 acoustic foam-barrier  
composite  
<http://www.earsc.com/HOME/products/BarriersandAbsorbers/ 
BarrierComposites/index.asp?SID=187>.  We've tried it in an fMRI  
scanner - I don't think it caused any major artifacts; don't know about  
MEG.  See an unpublished poster from Human Brain Mapping 1999  
<http://epl.meei.harvard.edu/~mer/HBM99posterhandout.pdf> and a more  
recent paper: Ravicz et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 109: 216–231 (2001).

How big is your device?  How much isolation do you need?  Are you  
isolating your subjects from noise produced by the device, or the  
device from the scanner noise?  You may also want to consider a rigid  
box, perhaps lined with absorbent foam.  Materials like particle board  
are good for reducing sound transmission.
	- Mike