Tech
Echolocation Computer Algorithm 'Hears' the Shape of a Room in Lausanne Cathedral
Catherine Griffin
First Posted: Jun 18, 2013 09:40 AM EDT
Many species use echolocation to observe their surroundings. Dolphins, bats and whales all employ the technique when visibility is less than ideal. While humans have been shown to be able to learn how to use echolocation, though, they're not naturally born with the ability. Now, we're using technology to help us. Researchers have developed a computer algorithm that allows echoes to model the shape of a room.
The new system actually works by analyzing the echoes from a simple sound source--a snapping finger, for example. These sounds are then captured by a few microphones and analyzed by the algorithm. The program can then reconstruct a 3-D version of complex room shapes. In fact, the system is so honed that it can distinguish between stronger and weaker echoes, determining whether a sound has bounced around the room one or more times, according to BBC News.
"The algorithm relies on a certain acoustical model called image source model," said Ivan Dokmanic of the Audiovisual Communications Laboratory at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in an interview with Discovery News. "It says that if you have an echo from the wall, you can model this echo--this sound--from a point source, which is like a mirror of the original source across a wall."
In order to test their new system, the scientists headed to a building that has one of the most complex interiors to be found--the Lausanne cathedral. This historic monument was actually consecrated to Notre-Dame in 1275 and has been an important destination for pilgrims for centuries. With its sculpted interior with columns and statues and with its great acoustics, the cathedral was a perfect place to test the new system.
The researchers set up a loudspeaker and five microphones. The speaker briefly emitted an audible chirp that swept from 200 hertz to 10 kilohertz. After the system recorded and analyzed the sound, the scientists found that the computer algorithm was successfully able to map the cathedral's 3D shape and pinpoint the location of the sound source.
"This could be run by a store owner like Wal-Mart, allowing people to download the app when they come in," said Dokmanic in an interview with New Scientist.
The findings are published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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First Posted: Jun 18, 2013 09:40 AM EDT
Many species use echolocation to observe their surroundings. Dolphins, bats and whales all employ the technique when visibility is less than ideal. While humans have been shown to be able to learn how to use echolocation, though, they're not naturally born with the ability. Now, we're using technology to help us. Researchers have developed a computer algorithm that allows echoes to model the shape of a room.
The new system actually works by analyzing the echoes from a simple sound source--a snapping finger, for example. These sounds are then captured by a few microphones and analyzed by the algorithm. The program can then reconstruct a 3-D version of complex room shapes. In fact, the system is so honed that it can distinguish between stronger and weaker echoes, determining whether a sound has bounced around the room one or more times, according to BBC News.
"The algorithm relies on a certain acoustical model called image source model," said Ivan Dokmanic of the Audiovisual Communications Laboratory at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in an interview with Discovery News. "It says that if you have an echo from the wall, you can model this echo--this sound--from a point source, which is like a mirror of the original source across a wall."
In order to test their new system, the scientists headed to a building that has one of the most complex interiors to be found--the Lausanne cathedral. This historic monument was actually consecrated to Notre-Dame in 1275 and has been an important destination for pilgrims for centuries. With its sculpted interior with columns and statues and with its great acoustics, the cathedral was a perfect place to test the new system.
The researchers set up a loudspeaker and five microphones. The speaker briefly emitted an audible chirp that swept from 200 hertz to 10 kilohertz. After the system recorded and analyzed the sound, the scientists found that the computer algorithm was successfully able to map the cathedral's 3D shape and pinpoint the location of the sound source.
"This could be run by a store owner like Wal-Mart, allowing people to download the app when they come in," said Dokmanic in an interview with New Scientist.
The findings are published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone