Computational acoustics for virtual environments

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Incorporating spatial sound in realistic simulations such as immersive virtual environments seems obvious. In fact, doing so can be beneficial for a variety of reasons. Spatial sound cues can add a better sense of "presence" or "immersion", can compensate for poor visual cues (graphics), and lead to improved object localization. That being said, accurately recreating the potentially large number of interactions between a sound and the objects/surfaces it may encounter as the sound propagates through the environment while accounting for the human listener is extremely difficult and beyond our current analytical and computational reach, except perhaps for simple environments. There is also a lack of established methodology for the detailed evaluation of the effectiveness and accuracy (e.g., how faithful the model is to the actual phenomena being modeled) of spatial sound systems in general. Many evaluations involve making comparisons between various properties/statistics computed by the system and the corresponding theoretical/predicted values. However, the human listener is the ultimate user of any spatial sound application and therefore, to determine the effectiveness of such systems, any method of evaluation must also include human listeners in order to account for human auditory perception. This research program seeks to develop methods and techniques that will lead to more efficient, realistic simulations of dynamic, interactive, multi-modal virtual environments through the investigation of: i) the trade-off between accuracy vs. computational time; ii) whether human perception may be exploited to limit computational resources, and iii) the potential merger of human-based effects with acoustical modeling to facilitate efficient listener sound fields through the use of different algorithms and techniques. The training of highly qualified personnel is an essential component of the proposed research program and will include the training of students. While under my supervision, students will have the opportunity to work on unique, cutting edge research using state of the art facilities, while interacting and building ties with experts in acoustics.