Binaural hearing - physiological acoustics - psychoacoustics - sound quality
Why can we locate sound?
How do we know that a sound source is in front of us or behind us?
We are able to locate sound, because we have learned to use our head and both our ears to evaluate the signals, which impact on our eardrums. If a signal or a noise comes for example from the left-hand side, the sound wave travels a shorter distance to the left ear than to the right ear. Due to our anatomy (head, neck, shoulders and ears) both ear signals are deflected and reflected in a different manner. If one wants to reproduce or record this directional information, an artificial human head is used that has microphones instead of the eardrums. This model is called an artificial head. With such artificial heads sound can be recorded in a manner as if one had actually been there oneself. Such measuring systems are important amongst others in room acoustics and audiology for the development of algorithms for hearing aids.
Psycho acoustics is concerned with the assessment of sound and measuring subjective perception. This issue - the effect of sound - is important in all areas of acoustics. Considering the wide range of applications and the occurrence of sound in everyday life, researching the characteristics and quality of sound is extremely diverse and interesting. This research area has become more and more interdisciplinary towards psychology and requires cooperation.
Specialist fields:
Room and Architectural Acoustics
Vibroacoustics
Binaural hearing - physiological acoustics - psychoacoustics - sound quality
Electro acoustics - digital technology - acoustic measuring technology
Numerical Acoustics
Virtual reality - simulation and auralization
Vehicle Acoustics