Development of Virtual Auditory Interfaces
Abstract
The design of visual components in virtual environments has shown rapid improvement and innovation. However the design of auditory interfaces has lagged behind. Whereas visual scenes have become more compelling, the auditory portions of VE remain rudimentary. This disparity is perplexing since auditory cues play a crucial role in our day-to-day lives. Imagine entering a meeting with a room full of people. When you enter the room you realize that the speaker's voice is emanating from all points in the room yet the room is totally anechoic. In addition. you see other attendees moving in the room, yet there are no additional noises in the room except the speaker's voice. Despite walking into a "real" environment. your sense of reality would most probably be challenged. In tact it is generally believed that the sense of presence is dependent upon auditory. visual and tactile fidelity (Sheriden. 1996). Although the sense of realism in VE is also dependent on visual fidelity. virtual or spatial sound has been shown to increase the sense of "presence" (Hendrix 1996). It stands to reason that when we develop poor auditory interlaces in a VE. The perceived quality of the entire VE is compromised (Storms. 1998). The problem with audio is that our normal auditory environment is "transparent". We don't consciously process a sound in our environment unless we NEED to attend to it. Yet. when slogging through mud while on patrol. soldiers use auditory cues to keep track of the people around them while scanning for threats in front of them. They don't need to keep looking at the people around them. While not consciously processing the sounds of their comrades if someone stops walking, walking, they'll recognize the lack of sound instantly.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2001
- Accession Number
- ADP010794
Entities
People
- Russel D. Shilling
- Tomasz Letowski
Organizations
- United States Air Force Academy