There is nothing more frustrating than taking your car into the mechanic with only the vaguest sense that something is wrong. You know that odd little creak or strange whine is new, but you don’t have a clue what it’s trying to tell you. You would like to know before it becomes a serious problem, and an expert is going to charge you a bunch of money to find out.

What if we could diagnose machines, and keep them healthy, just by listening to the noises they make. That’s the premise of Augury, a startup based in New York City. And since Augury is all about sound, we decided to do this piece as an audio report. Take a listen below and let us know what you think.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices