Microsoft’s Anechoic Chamber at their Redmond Campus is currently the quietest room on Earth, according to Guinness World Records, and this $1.5-million creation just might drive you crazy if you’re stuck in there for too long. It’s designed to test headphones and other hardware, so even just hearing your constant breathing might be a bit too much after 45-minutes or so. “Some people come in for a minute and want out immediately. People can’t handle it, it rattles their brains, it’s sensory deprivation,” said Hundraj Gopal, Microsoft’s principal human factors engineer, to DailyMail. Read more for a 360° video and additional information.
“The chamber is within six concrete layers, each up to 12 inches thick, that help to block out sounds from the outside world. The walls, floor and ceiling are covered in giant wedges of fiberglass foam to eradicate any echoes. The chamber floats on 68 vibration damping springs and is mounted on its own separate foundation slab to cut it off from the rest of the building. Inside the chamber, the floor is made from the same steel cables used to stop fighter jets as they land on aircraft carriers, arranged like a net above the foam wedges underneath,” according to Daily Mail.
