Software developer Simon Willison created the Beep Locator system to identify the source of intermittent electronic noises in his storage room. The project was developed using the Claude Code AI programming tool and was announced on November 9.
The system utilizes five devices, including smartphones, tablets, and computers, which access microphones via a web interface to capture audio. The software calculates the time difference of sound arrival across these devices to triangulate the source.
To improve accuracy, Willison implemented a manual feature for positioning device icons on a map. The program employs Fast Fourier Transform to isolate specific frequencies from background noise and uses a short reference sound to synchronize recordings across all hardware.
The application provides recommendations for placing additional devices to narrow down the search area. Willison successfully located a hidden carbon monoxide detector within a cardboard box using this method. The project source code is now available on GitHub.
