Ear Tracking: Visualizing Auditory Localization Strategies

Auditory displays are an ongoing topic of human computer interaction research and have been shown to be beneficial in human interfaces. Further, binaural spatial acoustic displays are a topic of increasingly active research. As these virtual acoustic displays become more predominant, new methods for measuring user's perceptions and the display's effectiveness become necessary. A novel method for examining virtual acoustic displays, specifically localization strategies within these displays, is presented. This method is analogous to eye tracking in visual displays. Such a method may be useful in the evaluation of virtual acoustic displays and in the design of adaptive acoustic displays. KEYWORDS: binaural audio, virtual acoustic displays, auditory perception, position tracking, adaptive interfaces INTRODUCTION Non-speech auditory displays are slowly gaining acceptance in human interface design. These displays have been shown to be highly effective in a variety of applications [1]. Th..