Visual overload is a growing phenomenon.
Car drivers and pilots, among others, are regularly asked to process vast amounts of visual information, thus pushing the human visual channel to its limit. The aural alternative has been poorly researched to date. However, the quality of auditory information can be improved substantially using virtual acoustics. These techniques make use of sound presented through headphones to create realistic virtual auditory environments. In this way, localised virtual sound sources can be identified with the same accuracy as actual sources.