Active Noise Cancelling - ANC

“ANC” short for Active Noise Cancelling Headphones works by using microphones to pick up constant low frequency noises and filtering / cancelling it before it reaches the ear. It does that by generating a 180 degree phase-inverted sound of the unwanted noise, thus cancelling each other out.

While this technology has been widely used by many manufacturer of headphones in recent years, its origin dates back to the 1930’s

• 1933: German inventor Paul Lueg submitted a patent application for cancelling noise around a loudspeaker. 
• 1936: Paul Lueg’s patent is finally granted.
• 1950s: Dr Lawrence Jerome Fogel submitted patents on active noise cancellation in the field of aviation.
• 1970s: Dr Amar Bose on a flight to Europe, came up with the idea of reducing noise in headphones
• 1986: Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager fly around the world using ANC headsets from Bose to reduce airplane noise.
• 1987: Another company, Sennheiser also had similar ideas and introduced the first certified ANC headsets for pilots of Lufthansa airline. 
• 1990s: ANC headsets are widely taken up into both the military and civil aviation.
• 2000: The first consumer ANC headphones make its debut by Bose.