An Empirical Study of Hear-Through Augmented Reality: Using Bone Conduction to Deliver Spatialized Audio

Augmented reality (AR) is the mixing of computer-generated stimuli with real-world stimuli. In this paper, we present results from a controlled, empirical study comparing three ways of delivering spatialized audio for AR applications: a speaker array, headphones, and a bone-conduction headset. Analogous to optical-see-through AR in the visual domain, Hear-Through AR allows users to receive computer-generated audio using the bone-conduction headset, and real-world audio using their unoccluded ears. Our results show that subjects achieved the best accuracy using a speaker array physically located around the listener when stationary sounds were played, but that there was no difference in accuracy between the speaker array and the bone-conduction device for sounds that were moving, and that both devices outperformed standard headphones for moving sounds. Subjective comments by subjects following the experiment support this performance data.

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2008
• Where: VR
• Authors: Robert W. Lindeman, Haruo Noma, Paulo Gonçalves de Barros
• Keywords: Computer-generated Stimuli, Real-world Stimuli, Speaker Array, Virtual Reality, VR 2008