'City that never sleeps' wants to dial down the volume

CAR horns, sirens, drilling, jets flying overhead and restaurants where diners have to yell to be heard - New York is one of the loudest cities in the world.

But America's most populous metropolis, known as "the city that never sleeps", has launched a unique experiment seeking to provide New York with the technology to dial down the volume and address noise pollution.

The five-year, US$4.6 million project - the brainchild of researchers at New York University (NYU), working in concert with city residents and City Hall - is using machine learning technology and sensors to build a sound library.