Fit for Human Consumption

Arbitron PPM

An article in this week's New York Time's magazine discusses a new technology for measuring media viewing.  The Portable People Meter (PPM) by Arbitron is a pager-sized device that  "listens" to a high frequency audio signal that will be potentially embedded in TV, radio and even film and mp3 content.  By recording what the listener is exposed to, the system is much more accurate, flexible and comprehensive than current methods of audience measurement (e.g. surveys, dedicated set-top boxes) and works inside and outside the home.

See Arbitron's site for more detailed explanation and technical background.

Evaluation of 3D Auditory Systems

I recently located a copy of an evaluation report that I had collaborated on at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.  We had compared an "off the shelf", system for creating listener specific HRTF functions (if such a thing can be called off the shelf) to a more rigorous approach.  The results were dissapointing to say the least -

"The SNAPSHOT MX is a system designed to collect individualized Head- Related Transfer Functions (HRTFS) quickly and efficiently in non-anechoic rooms.  This report outlines the SNAPSHOT system and presents the results of a study comparing auditory localization performance with individualized HRTFs measured with the SNAPSHOT to generic HRThs measured with the SNAPSHOT on the Knowles Electronics Manikin for Acoustic Research (KEMAR) and to the genetic SDO transfer functions packaged with the Convolvotron. The results indicate that localization performance is significantly worse with the individualized SNAPSHOT HRTFs than with the genetic SDO HRTFs."

You can view an abstract and purchase here:

Evaluation of the SNAPSHOT 3D Head-Related Transfer Functions Measurement System

Or email me to receive it directly.

M2VIS 2005

Call for papers for UK-based conference on non-visual data presentation (including sonification and auralization):

http://www.m2vis.org/2005/cfp.shtml

3D Sound for Mobile Devices

Sonaptic has developed a propietary method for providing 3D sounds on mobile devices.  Applications can include spatialized conference calling on a cell phone:

http://www.demo.com/demo2/demonstrators/sonapticlimited.html

Color for the Blind

BBC article on a prototype system for displaying complex images via sound by playing tones representing different colors as the image is traced over:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4257961.stm

Return of the Walkman

Sony/Ericsson will be launching mp3 player capable phones under the name "Walkman".  Brillantly appropriate resurrection of the brand name (albeit a name that is likely unknown to those under 20):

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4265777.stm

Triangulating the Location of Sound Sources

Acoustic sensors are being implemented to localize and identify sounds for public, and soon, home surveillance.

This doesn't quite fit under auditory display since its about listening rather than producing sounds, and it doesn't (yet) fit under user research technologies, but its exteremly interesting and potentially relevant:

http://www.gsnmagazine.com/jan_05/acoustic_system.html

Audio Anecdotes

My small contribution to this comprehensive, two volume set on all things computer and audio, cover the conceptual basics of sound perception and application:

Audio Anecdotes II: Tools, Tips, and Techniques for Digital Audio

Multisensory Display Research

A publication driven by my doctoral dissertation work on combining audio and visual cues to help pilots locate targets:

Evaluating Adaptive Multisensory Displays for Target Localization in a Flight Task, International Journal of Aviation Psychology (requires membership)

Audio Display of Web Processes

Presentation I made on using audio to communicate the status of background Web browsing processes:

Breaking the Sound Barrier: Designing Auditory Displays for Global Usability, Conference on Human Factors and the Web