Recording, Analysis and Playback of Spatial Sound Field using Novel Design Methods of Transducer Arrays

Nowadays, a growing interest in the recording and reproduction of spatial audio has been observed. With virtual and augmented reality technologies spreading fast thanks to entertainment and video game industries, also the professional opportunities in the field of engineering are evolving. However, despite many microphone arrays are reaching the market, most of them is not optimized for engineering or diagnostic use and remains mainly confined to voice and music recordings. In this thesis, the design of two new systems for recording and analysing the spatial distribution of sound energy, employing arrays of transducers and cameras, is discussed. Both acoustic and visual spatial information is recorded and combined together to produce static and dynamic colour maps, with a specially designed software and employing Ambisonics and Spatial PCM Sampling (SPS), two common spatial audio formats, for signals processing. The first solution consists in a microphone array made of 32 capsules and a circular array of eight cameras, optimized for low frequencies. The size of the array is designed accordingly to the frequency range of interest for automotive Noise, Vibration & Harshness (NVH) applications. The second system is an underwater probe with four hydrophones and a panoramic camera, with which it is possible to monitor the effects of underwater noise produced by human activities on marine species. Finite Elements Method (FEM) simulations have been used to calculate the array response, thus deriving the filtering matrix and performing theoretical evaluation of the spatial performance. Field tests of the proposed solutions are presented in comparison with the current state-of-the-art equipment. The faithful reproduction of the spatial sound field arouses equally interest. Hence, a method to playback panoramic video with spatial audio is presented, making use of Virtual Reality (VR) technology, spatial audio, individualized Head Related Transfer Functions (HRTFs) and personalized headphones equalization. The work in its entirety presents a complete methodology for recording, analysing and reproducing the spatial information of soundscapes

A framework study on the use of immersive XR technologies in the cultural heritage domain

Most cultural promotion and dissemination are nowadays performed through the digitization of heritage sites and museums, a necessary requirement to meet the new needs of the public. Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR), and Virtual Reality (VR) have the potential to improve the experience quality and educational effect of these sites by stimulating users’ senses in a more natural and vivid way. In this respect, head-mounted display (HMD) devices allow visitors to enhance the experience of cultural sites by digitizing information and integrating additional virtual cues about cultural artifacts, resulting in a more immersive experience that engages the visitor both physically and emotionally. This study contributes to the development and incorporation of AR, MR, and VR applications in the cultural heritage domain by providing an overview of relevant studies utilizing fully immersive systems, such as headsets and CAVE systems, emphasizing the advantages that they bring when compared to handheld devices. We propose a framework study to identify the key features of headset-based Extended Reality (XR) technologies used in the cultural heritage domain that boost immersion, sense of presence, and agency. Furthermore, we highlight core characteristics that favor the adoption of these systems over more traditional solutions (e.g., handheld devices), as well as unsolved issues that must be addressed to improve the guests’ experience and the appreciation of the cultural heritage. An extensive search of Google Scholar, Scopus, IEEE Xplore, ACM Digital Library, and Wiley Online Library databases was conducted, including papers published from January 2018 to September 2022. To improve review reporting, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were used. Sixty-five papers met the inclusion criteria and were classified depending on the study’s purpose: education, entertainment, edutainment, touristic guidance systems, accessibility, visitor profiling, and management. Immersive cultural heritage systems allow visitors to feel completely immersed and present in the virtual environment, providing a stimulating and educational cultural experience that can improve the quality and learning purposes of cultural visits. Nonetheless, the analyzed studies revealed some limitations that must be faced to give a further impulse to the adoption of these technologies in the cultural heritage domain

THE DIGITAL RESTITUTION OF LOT 3317: USING UNDERWATER IMAGE BASED MODELLING TO GENERATE VALUE IN VIRTUAL HERITAGE EXPERIENCES

The intent of this paper is to demonstrate the cultural value that Virtual Heritage experiences can generate. As a proof of concept, game resolution assets were optimized from high polygon image based models (IBMs) and rendered in real-time, within a Head Mounted Display (HMD). The case study of lot 3317 was chosen to facilitate heuristic explorations pertinent to the history of the St. Lawrence Seaway, Canada. This case study explores methods in creating and validating heritage values, while valourizing assets as a cultural resources for use in the future. While at the same time, challenging the current spatial dynamics by conceptually reducing the distance between the viewer and the flooded landscape. In addition to demonstrating the cultural values generated through the veneration of lot 3317, the paper aims to provide a model for optimizing and post processing meshes produced through Under-Water Image-Base Modelling

Immersive design engineering

Design Engineering is an innovative field that usually combines a number of disciplines, such as material science, mechanics, electronics, and/or biochemistry, etc. New immersive technologies, such as Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR), are currently in the process of being widely adapted in various engineering fields. It is a proven fact that the modeling of spatial structures is supported by immersive exploration. But the field of Design Engineering reaches beyond standard engineering tasks. With this review paper we want to achieve the following: define the term “Immersive Design Engineering”, discuss a number of recent immersive technologies in this context, and provide an inspiring overview of work that belongs to, or is related to the field of Immersive Design Engineering. Finally, the paper concludes with definitions of research questions as well as a number of suggestions for future developments

Development and integration of digital technologies addressed to raise awareness and access to European underwater cultural heritage. An overview of the H2020 i-MARECULTURE project

The Underwater Cultural Heritage (UCH) represents a vast historical and scientific resource that, often, is not accessible to the general public due the environment and depth where it is located. Digital technologies (Virtual Museums, Virtual Guides and Virtual Reconstruction of Cultural Heritage) provide a unique opportunity for digital accessibility to both scholars and general public, interested in having a better grasp of underwater sites and maritime archaeology. This paper presents the architecture and the first results of the Horizon 2020 iMARECULTURE (Advanced VR, iMmersive Serious Games and Augmented REality as Tools to Raise Awareness and Access to European Underwater CULTURal heritage) project that aims to develop and integrate digital technologies for supporting the wide public in acquiring knowledge about UCH. A Virtual Reality (VR) system will be developed to allow users to visit the underwater sites through the use of Head Mounted Displays (HMDs) or digital holographic screens. Two serious games will be implemented for supporting the understanding of the ancient Mediterranean seafaring and the underwater archaeological excavations. An Augmented Reality (AR) system based on an underwater tablet will be developed to serve as virtual guide for divers that visit the underwater archaeological sites

Roadmap on 3D integral imaging: Sensing, processing, and display

This Roadmap article on three-dimensional integral imaging provides an overview of some of the research activities in the field of integral imaging. The article discusses various aspects of the field including sensing of 3D scenes, processing of captured information, and 3D display and visualization of information. The paper consists of a series of 15 sections from the experts presenting various aspects of the field on sensing, processing, displays, augmented reality, microscopy, object recognition, and other applications. Each section represents the vision of its author to describe the progress, potential, vision, and challenging issues in this field

Facilitating Keyboard Use While Wearing a Head-Mounted Display

Virtual reality (VR) headsets are becoming more common and will require evolving input mechanisms to support a growing range of applications. Because VR devices require users to wear head-mounted displays, there are accomodations that must be made in order to support specific input devices. One such device, a keyboard, serves as a useful tool for text entry. Many users will require assistance towards using a keyboard when wearing a head-mounted display. Developers have explored new mechanisms to overcome the challenges of text-entry for virtual reality. Several games have toyed with the idea of using motion controllers to provide a text entry mechanism, however few investigations have made on how to assist users in using a physical keyboard while wearing a head-mounted display. As an alternative to controller based text input, I propose that a software tool could facilitate the use of a physical keyboard in virtual reality. Using computer vision, a user€™s hands could be projected into the virtual world. With the ability to see the location of their hands relative to the keyboard, users will be able to type despite the obstruction caused by the head-mounted display (HMD). The viability of this approach was tested and the tool released as a plugin for the Unity development platform. The potential uses for the plugin go beyond text entry, and the project can be expanded to include many physical input devices