EGOCENTRIC LOCALIZATION IN VIRTUAL ACOUSTICAL ENVIRONMENTS

For normally sighted people spatial orientation in buildings is typically based on visual cues. However, the building interior (walls, floor, ceiling, furniture etc.) can also supply acoustical information that might help in the spatial assessment of the place. One could wonder what can be said about the size and shape of a dark room. And, is it possible to design a room in order supply useful spatial information to those who can only rely on acoustical cues? This paper shows results from a preliminary study that deals with self-localisation of people in a virtual environment, in terms of recognizing the size of the room and their position in the room. Results based on listening test experiments are presented and discussed.