Office of Naval Research, Bio-SONAR Multi-University Research Initiative
The Office of Naval Research, Bio-SONAR Multi-University Research Initiative (MURI) is a collaborative project led by Brown University with partners, Johns Hopkins University, Texas A&M, and the BIST lab also at Virginia Tech.
The goal of the MURI is to understand the neuroscience and physiology of bat echolocation. ASPIRe Lab is focused on the acoustics and signal processing goals of the project.
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Electric Vehicle Warning Sounds, Quantifying Detectability.
Hybrid and electric vehicles (HVs and EVs) have demonstrated low noise levels relative to their Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) counterparts, particularly at low speeds. As the number of HVs/EVs on the road increases, so does the need for data quantifying auditory detectability by pedestrians; in particular, those who are vision impaired. Manufacturers have started implementing additive noise solutions designed to increase vehicle detectability while in electric mode and/or when traveling below a certain speed.
In this General Motors sponsored project, ASPIRe Lab is collaborating with the Virginia Tech Transportation Research Institute to conduct listener tests using several HEVs and EVs with and without additive warning sounds. Listeners pressed a button when they believed that they heard the approaching vehicle. Using DGPS on the vehicles, the team was able to quantify detection distance for various warning sounds.
Environmental Applications of Immersive Audio - Quantifying the impact of changes in the soundscape on human quality of life.
We live in a world where the soundscape is affected by an ever increasing number noise sources. Â The ASPIRe Lab uses high-density loudspeaker arrays to reproduce these soundscapes in a virtual environment, and under controlled conditions, test their impact on humans.
