i am driving through sound space
"I Am Driving Through Sound Space" (IADTSS) is an interactive audio-visual installation for browsing audio databases. By using sound spatialization and a strong physical interface, IADTSS simulates a driving experience through a virtual sound space. IADTSS immerses the user in a sea of sound, allowing the quick navigation of big collections of audio clips.The installation consists of a computer equipped with a steering wheel, running custom made software that maps individual audio clips into a virtual world using a process called sound spatialization. Additionally, the system simulates the Doppler effect, providing additional spatial clues. While the sounds are played simultaneously, the spatialization allows the user to differentiate individual sources.To facilitate the quick navigation through big databases, IADTSS uses a driving wheel and a set of foot pedals, simulating a driving experience. The simulation allows traveling through the database at variable speeds, allowing the user to hear the overall content in a fast and compelling manner. Furthermore, the interface creates a powerful physical control of the virtual world, engaging the full attention of the user.The result is a complete immersive virtual reality navigational system that does not use intensive and sophisticated computer graphics, focusing more on the use of auditory and physical interfaces.The system was created as part of a larger project called MIT Treehouse Studio, an ongoing effort of the Physical Language Workshop group directed by Prof. John Maeda at the MIT Media Laboratory. http://plw.media.mit.edu/people/rocha/iadtss/.
audio browsing database navigation auditory display