Applications of models of binaural hearing

Abstract

Models of binaural hearing have been proposed for more than 60 decades, but it is only recently that they are ready for technological application. Recognizing this situation, 15 laboratories in Europe and in the United States have founded a research group (AABBA) with the aim of setting in place “Aural Assessment by Means of Binaural Algorithm.” Now, after its first 4-years term of activity, the group has published their recent results in a chapter book (Springer)—including a software package for building customized binaural models. In this talk, the group’s most relevant results will be described. The results concern the following areas of model application, among others: binaural analysis of aural scenes, binaural de-reverberation, binaural quality assessment of audio channels, loudspeakers and performance spaces, binaural perceptual coding, binaural processing in hearing aids and cochlea implants, binaural systems in robots, binaural/tactile human–machine interfaces, speech-intelligibility prediction in rooms, and/or multi-speaker scenarios. Current members of AABBA are research labs at Universities/Techn. Universities in Helsinki, Boston, Cardiff, Oldenburg, Lyon, Troy, NY (Rensselaer), Bochum, Berlin, Copenhagen, Dresden, Eindhoven, Munich, Paris (Pierre et Marie Curie), Toulouse, and at the Austrian Academy’s Acoustics Research Inst. in Vienna.