Articles tagged with Sound Localization
Scientists identified a physical mechanism in the brain that may help explain why progress can grind to a halt: the extracellular matrix loosens and rebuilds after each practice session, gradually stopping once a skill is learned. This dynamic process affects how the brain learns and retains new skills.
Researchers developed a method to modify vehicle sounds using auditory augmented reality, which can draw pedestrian attention without loud warnings. By artificially increasing the frequency of approaching vehicle sounds, participants judged the vehicle as moving faster and closer.
Researchers discovered the brain's brief 'dual tracking' ability to process two conversations simultaneously, potentially explaining why some individuals excel in busy social situations. This finding may help improve hearing technologies and provide insight into why certain people struggle with multitasking.
A study found that evaluators' musical experience influences the sight-over-sound effect, reducing its impact for those with auditory expertise. The study used Japanese high school brass band competitions and found no significant evidence of the effect in musicians, but a stronger presence in non-musicians.
Research from Chalmers University of Technology found that one type of electric vehicle's warning signal is hard for humans to locate at low speeds, even with background noise. The signal was designed for acoustical standards, but its detectability was tested in a real-world setting.
Researchers found that male mosquito brains respond to a wider range of sounds than females and have more diverse responses. This suggests that males use complex acoustic cues to locate females in noisy environments, making traditional traps less effective.
Researchers have designed a headphone system that translates several speakers simultaneously, preserving voice direction and qualities. The Spatial Speech Translation system uses off-the-shelf noise-cancelling headphones fitted with microphones to separate out different speakers in a space and translate their speech.
Scientists develop an ambisonic algorithm to simulate precise sound locations in 3D, reproducing sounds with high accuracy and precision. The AudioDome loudspeaker array achieves a spatial resolution comparable to human spatial acuity.
Scientists discover that auricular muscles, which helped ancestors move ears for better hearing, react during effortful listening. The muscles' activity levels correlate with difficulty of task, providing potential measure of listening effort.
Researchers aim to shed light on how hearing impairment affects auditory perception, particularly in complex environments. They will use animal models to examine neural mechanisms contributing to difficulties in sound localization.
A University of Washington team has developed an AI system called Target Speech Hearing that cancels all other sounds and plays the enrolled speaker's voice in real time. The system was tested on 21 subjects, who rated the clarity of the enrolled speaker's voice nearly twice as high as the unfiltered audio on average.
A team of researchers has created an audio feedback system that uses neuromorphic cameras and speaker arrays to provide real-time audio cues in three dimensions. The system enables blind players to track the ball and movements, allowing them to play table tennis with greater accuracy.
Researchers developed a deep convolutional neural network to pinpoint cardiac catheter tip locations in photoacoustic images, achieving high precision and recall. The approach has the potential to replace fluoroscopy during cardiac interventions, leading to safer procedures.
The study used a battery-powered acoustic array to record Goliath grouper sounds at an artificial reef, assessing their presence by measuring acoustic activity and habitat distribution. The results showed that the model can be used to automatically process large amounts of acoustic data and provide detailed movements of marine organisms.
VIRTUOSO, developed by Dr. Hyunkook Lee from the University of Huddersfield's Applied Psychoacoustics Lab, enables immersive 3D audio without loudspeakers through binaural technology powered by ASPEN. This technology simulates the ambience and reflections found in a room with headphones, allowing for accurate translation to real speakers.
Researchers developed algorithms to analyze acoustic signals from fire hydrant-mounted hydrophones, pinpointing leaks in aging water distribution networks. This technology supports water conservation efforts, especially in the Western US where leaks are a significant issue.
Scientists at the University of Tsukuba discovered a phenomenon where moving a virtual assistant's voice closer to users increases customer rapport, contrasting with traditional ventriloquism effects. This 'mouth-in-the-door' effect can be used to enhance user experience in virtual commerce scenarios.
A team of researchers from the University of Tsukuba has developed a new approach for accurate underwater acoustic positioning in multipath environments. By using a database of signals and selectively removing reflected waves, they achieve centimeter-scale accuracy in object location, even in shallow waters.
Researchers developed an approach to predict shooter localization accuracy using geometric considerations, sensor characteristics, and urban environment. The prediction is represented as an ellipse-shaped area around the true shooter location, with smaller areas indicating higher accuracy.
Researchers at Binghamton University discovered that orb-weaving spiders use their webs as extended auditory arrays to capture sounds, allowing them to detect prey and predators. The study found that the spiders can respond to sound levels as low as 68 decibels and localize sound sources with 100% accuracy.
Nagoya University researchers have discovered how bird brains compute time differences between sounds reaching each ear to determine their location. This process relies on the clustering of nerve junctions in specialized dendrites dedicated to low-frequency sounds.
A team of researchers has created a metamaterial that can transport sound in unusually robust ways along its edges and localize it at its corners. This unique property may improve technologies like sonars and ultrasound devices, making them more resistant to defects.
Researchers found that humans can efficiently localize sounds when moving, using auditory motion parallax to estimate relative distances. This mechanism is particularly useful in noisy environments and allows for improved sound discrimination.
Researchers found that bats produce fewer calls, spend less time near vertical glass surfaces, and approach at a more acute angle, highlighting the 'blind spot' in their echolocation ability. The study's findings underscore the negative impact of human development on wildlife, particularly injured or dead bats often found near buildings.
Researchers at UConn School of Medicine developed a new hearing test to identify binaural processing deficits in individuals with normal or near-normal audiograms. The study found that listeners with essentially normal clinical hearing test results may exhibit substantial deficits in binaural processing.
Researchers at Technical University of Munich developed an universal mathematical model that describes how sound waves propagate through the internally coupled ears and which clues for localizing sound sources are created. This system enables animals to pinpoint sound sources, a mechanism applicable to over 15,000 species.
A team of researchers has found that variations in the morphology of auditory axons, particularly the length of internodes and diameter, impact the speed and precision of signal transmission. This discovery challenges long-held assumptions about axon structure and function.
The UNSW research provides new insight into hearing loss and improves cochlear implant functionality, enabling better sound localisation in noisy conditions and protecting against noise damage. The study's findings suggest a potential link to age-related hearing loss and aim to develop more accurate soundscapes.
A University at Buffalo researcher has found that mice can distinguish between partial sound waves, similar to how humans recognize word onsets. This discovery could help better understand human hearing loss and strengthen the use of mice as models for human communication.
Researchers identified 17 auditory tasks, such as grid references and enemy movement detection, to assess hearing fitness. The study aims to develop a new auditory fitness test and provide insights into the challenges faced by frontline soldiers.
Khaleel Razak's research aims to develop therapies for age-related hearing problems and Fragile X Syndrome by studying how the brain processes everyday sounds. His lab will investigate neural computations that generate cortical maps underlying sound localization behavior in the pallid bat.
Research shows that men excel in both visuo-spatial and auditory-spatial tasks, such as detecting a single sound source in a noisy environment. Women struggled with the same task, indicating a 'high attentional mechanism' in the brain involved in extracting spatial information.
Researchers investigated the role of low-frequency auditory spatial cues in barn owls' ability to localize sounds. They found that these cues dominate azimuth representation, while high-frequency cues dominate elevation representation. These findings have implications for understanding sound localization in other species, including hum...
A study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology found that manatees can probably hear which directions boats approach from. The animals were able to pinpoint sound sources, including both high- and low-pitched sounds, using a combination of time difference and intensity cues.
Researchers discovered an unusual frog species that can actively select sound frequencies, tuning in to specific sounds like a radio. The 'Odorrana tormota' frog's eardrums respond differently depending on the Eustachian tubes' opening state, allowing it to filter out background noise and focus on ultrasonic calls.
Researchers have found that humans can filter out background noise and focus on a single speaker's voice due to unique temporal fine structures in voiced speech. Long-range inhibitory interactions in the auditory cortex enable this selective representation.
Researchers trained adult ferrets to localize sounds despite obstructed hearing, finding that frequency of training was crucial for improvement. The study showed that the brain can adapt to abnormal spatial cues rapidly with intensive training, suggesting potential benefits for patients with hearing disorders.
Blind individuals with superior localization skills exhibit increased activity in the visual cortex while performing monaural tasks. This suggests that the visual cortex is specifically recruited to process subtle monaural cues more effectively.
Research reveals that both early- and late-onset blind individuals possess supra-normal auditory abilities in far-space, surpassing those of sighted subjects. This challenges the long-held belief that only early-blind individuals can develop superior spatial hearing skills.
Researchers mapped the primary auditory cortex of a pallid bat, revealing insights into the structure and function of its hearing system. The study found that neurons in the low-frequency noise-preferring region are systematically organized with respect to their sensitivity to interaural intensity differences.