Audvert: Using Spatial Audio to Gain a Sense of Place

Abstract

Abstract.We introduce Audvert -a system that facilitates serendipitous discovery and navigation through spatial audio; used to navigate and discover points of interest in large, unfamiliar indoor environments. Our main aim was to create a lightweight spatial audio display that can convey a sense of a place without complex point and select interactions. We conducted a preliminary study comparing two audio types to see which best suited sound localization and a study of Audvert used in a real world scenario. Our findings suggest that long continuous audio performs better than short intermittent audio for sound localisation. We also discover a change in behaviour when using the system, with a large percentage of users wanting to visit newly discovered shops after using the system. We discuss the findings and draw research conclusions.Keywords: Non-visual Navigation, Wayfinding, Auditory Display IntroductionWhen a visitor enters a shopping mall for the first time, it is likely that they do not know where they are going. To maximize the available space in a mall, shops are often packed closely together, and depending on the specific layout of the shopping mall and the location of the visitor, it is also likely that not all shops are visible. All of these factors can make a large, unfamiliar indoor location a confusing place to be. Previous research on users' use of technology in unfamiliar places has shown that tourists often exhibit a wandering behaviour and then home in on serendipitous discoveries [1]. To aid such activities, maps (physical and digital) are sometimes used, although as mentioned by McGookin et. al [8], maps are not best suited to these kinds of activities due to changing contexts and the need to constantly refer to a map. We argue that tourist behaviour can be linked quite closely to visitor behaviour when in large and unfamiliar places such as shopping malls. It is easy to imagine a visitor to a shopping mall, wandering, homing in on anything of interest to them.In an effort to aid such visitors, we have developed a system that attempts to facilitate navigation (homing in) and serendipitous discovery (wandering) using only spatial audio. Audvert is a mobile application that attempts to give a user a sense of place. Conventional maps are good at summarising what points of interest are available to a user in the nearby environment, but Audvert attempts to give the user a sense

Being Aware of the World: Toward Using Social Media to Support the Blind With Navigation

“…Haptic augmentation is provided by a waist belt with vibrating motors to alert the user on an encounter with an obstacle [10], whereas voice augmentation is provided by synthesizing spatial-auditory data using the OpenAL (audio library) API [16]. We project the events containing location tags with reference to the user's location in 3-D space to make the user effectively interact with the evolving real-time events.…”

Audible Beacons and Wearables in Schools

“…Talking Points [29], Audvert [3], and work by Sareela [26] used speech to tell users about their surroundings: as they approached items or moved through a space, contextuallyrelevant information was spoken aloud by a mobile device. Using speech meant that detailed information could be given, allowing systems to present more guidance than simply making users aware of nearby landmarks (as in AudioGPS or Audio Bubbles, for example).…”

Rnods-Rfid Based Navigation With Object Detection and Social-Network for the Blind

“…The algorithm that is implemented in the system provides an audio instruction that guides the blind around the obstacle or notifies if required [5]. The navigation system also introduces "Audvert" -a system that facilitates guidance through the unfamiliar environments either indoor or outdoor, it also discovers points of interests and provides the spatial audio [6]. The system also proposes a context-aware navigation where the information about the environment is stored in the cloud.…”