Development of a low-cost tracking system

Abstract

Binaural synthesis of a sound scene places each sound object through its convolution with the head-related transfer function (HRTF) equivalent to the relative position of the sound object in relation to the listener's head. A critical aspect of the quality of binaural reproduction is that we are, even if unconsciously, constantly moving our heads. If we do not take this movement into account in the scene synthesis, the sound objects presented will continue with their fixed position in relation to the position of the head. This means that when we move our head the sound sources will move with us instead of being fixed in space, which may result in the disappearance of the acoustic illusion created by binaural reproduction. To solve this problem it is necessary to use a dynamic system, which tracks the position of the listener's head and compensates his movements. This has already been done for reproduction with binaural signals that have been auralized, in order to allow the position of the sources to be updated. To enable the domestic use of this technology, it is necessary to develop solutions based on low-cost tracking systems, such as Kinect, images from low-resolution cameras (webcams), or encapsulated sensors (such as BNO070 from Hillcrest Labs). (AU)