Article

“The Wonderful Sound Lab” – An immersive communication laboratory for hearing aid development (en)

Authors

* Presenting author
Day / Time: 19.03.2024, 15:20-16:00
Room: Glasgang, Posterbereich A
Typ: Poster
Session: Audiologische Akustik (Posterbereich A)
Information: Die Poster werden durchgängig von Dienstag bis Donnerstag im Glasgang ausgestellt, sortiert nach thematischen Zusammenhängen in der hier angegebenen Posterinsel (siehe Sitzungstitel). Das Posterforum zur angegebenen Zeit bietet die Möglichkeit, mit den Autor*innen in Diskussion zu kommen.
Abstract: The perceptual measurement of communication is essential for the advancement of hearing aid technology. The Wonderful Sound Lab is a unique immersive audio laboratory constructed for the development and evaluation of state of the art and prototype hearing aids. The focus of the laboratory is communication, group conversation, and interpersonal engagement; all in a realistic and replicable environment.The room is designed to feel unlike a traditional laboratory setting; most technical equipment and loudspeakers are hidden, providing a high ecological validity.The Wonderful Sound Lab is equipped with a large custom 3D loudspeaker and microphone array, capable of providing a variety of virtual acoustic scenes, which are comprised of a pre-recorded soundscape and a live reverb augmentation engine. The scene playback combined with matching simulated room acoustics results in a fully immersive scenario for a subject.In this work, we discuss the motivation behind the laboratory's construction, evaluate its effectiveness as a research tool, explain the technical configuration and acoustic properties of the room, and offer practical applications in the context of novel hearing aid development.