How to not hit a virtual wall: aural spatial awareness for collision avoidance in virtual environments

Authors:
Christian Afonso;Steffi Beckhaus
Affiliations:
University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany;University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
Venue:
Proceedings of the 6th Audio Mostly Conference: A Conference on Interaction with Sound
Year:
2011

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Abstract

Compared to graphics, sound is still an underused modality for conveying information and providing users with more than just general ambience or targeted sound effects. Collision notification is one case of direct aural feedback: The moment a user hits a wall, they hear an appropriate sound e.g. a thump. We tried to go further by using contextual spatial sound to provide collision avoidance feedback, which plays continuously in the background, but, unlike ambient soundscapes, reacts accurately and in real-time to upcoming collision hazards. In a first experimental design, we provided directional spatial sound feedback for collision avoidance in a prototypical labyrinth environment and examined the performance and reactions of a group of test subjects, who navigated through the labyrinth. Our initial design already received positive reactions from the subjects and analysis of the performance data shows first results indicating the viability of this kind of spatial sound feedback.