3D-printed acoustic head simulators that talk and move

Abstract

Acoustic head simulators are used to collect realistic binaural audio with accurate interaural cues. Head simulators are difficult to acquire and often provide only listening and recording capabilities. For cocktail parties and conversation scenarios, it is necessary to have many head simulators that can simultaneously produce speech and capture sound. An added dimension of realism can be provided with motion. We rely on 3D printing to fabricate a large number of head simulators, each of which is equipped with a loudspeaker for mimicking speech production. We use silent multi-axis turrets to provide neck-like motion. Our actuated head simulator collection is integrated into the Mechatronic Acoustic Research System.