Investigating Auditory and Audio-Visual Motion Perception in Real and Virtual 3D-Spaces as well as Effects of Attention and Training

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Modern industrial work environments are characterized by increasing levels of automation and autonomously acting robots sharing the factory floor with human workers. As moving robots constitute an occupational hazard, a thorough understanding of human perception of and interaction with moving objects is of great importance. This is especially true when moving objects are not in the human's field of view. Here, modern VR technology offers the possibility to simulate and evaluate work environments with respect to safe and efficient workflows. To compare human performance in real and virtual environments, we will analyze not only behavioral measures but also EEG correlates of the underlying neurocognitive processes as well as subjective measures (e.g., quantifying the plausibility of the VR environment or the perceived difficulty of a task). Thus, this project builds on results of our project within the first phase of the DFG priority program "AUDICTIVE", in which a VR-based audio-visual test environment for investigating spatial perception and attention in three-dimensional space was developed and validated. The focus of this second phase is on the exploration of motion perception in a simulated work scenario in real and virtual environments and the validation of audio-visual and auditory motion perception in VR. The project will integrate dynamic components into both environments of the first phase and perform a series of experiments to study motion perception. In view of previous findings, the role of familiarization with the room acoustics and the consequences of attention on the perception of multiple moving sound sources will be investigated. A double-task paradigm will be used in which the participants’ mental load is increased through a second independent task in the presence of moving objects. Finally, considering a possible use of VR technology for training real-world action sequences, the effect of audio-visual training and learning on the perception of moving auditory objects will be studied and possible transfers between environments will be derived. Young and older people will be included to determine possible age-related influences. Finally, we will use the developed VR platform to investigate binaural speech enhancement algorithms (e.g., for dereverberation) and evaluate their impact on spatial perception. Thus, this project will provide novel insights into neural-cognitive processing of audio-visual motion and will pave the way to higher occupational safety by the use of VR technology.