Co-Immersion in Audio Augmented Virtuality: The Case Study of a Static and Approximated Late Reverberation Algorithm

Area of Science:

• Acoustics
• Virtual Reality
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Immersive Audio Augmented Reality (AAR) requires virtual sounds to be indistinguishable from real ones.
• The co-immersion criterion evaluates virtual sound integration within real environments.
• Audio Augmented Virtuality (AAV) combines real-world audio with synthetic sound generation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of simplified late reverberation (LR) on co-immersion in AAV.
• To assess how altered acoustic properties influence the perception of virtual sound sources.
• To establish a methodology for evaluating immersive audio technologies in AAR and AAV.

Main Methods:

• An experimental design was created within an AAV environment.
• Participants identified 'impostor' virtual speakers rendered with simplified LR conditions.
• Spatial Room Impulse Responses were used for dynamic rendering of simultaneous virtual speakers.

Main Results:

• Detection rates for impostor sound sources were close to chance level.
• One simplified LR condition showed a particularly limited influence on co-immersion.
• The findings suggest simplified LR has a minimal effect on co-immersion in the tested AAV scenes.

Conclusions:

• Simplified late reverberation appears to have a limited impact on co-immersion in evaluated AAV scenes.
• The proposed methodology is adaptable for further research into AAR and AAV audio requirements.
• Future studies can explore varying acoustic complexities and rendering parameters.