HELIXON: Hybrid, efficient, and liquid interpolation of sound in extended reality

A key auditory element in extended reality (XR) applications is the auralization of virtual sources in real environments for dynamic observers. Firstly, commercially available technology currently does not provide a solution to this problem, while present-day research is at a level that does not yet offer the versatility and algorithmic efficiency needed in real-life, real-time applications. Secondly, due to this lack of existing solutions, the road to adoption of XR technology by end users is still a long way ahead. The HELIXON project builds upon the ERC Consolidator Grant 'The Spatial Dynamics of Room Acoustics (SONORA)' and aims to develop and showcase a novel approach to integrate an acoustic model of a real environment into a dynamic auralization setup. The novel approach is envisaged to be significantly faster, more flexible regarding the environment geometry, and less hardware- dependent than existing dynamic auralization methods and thus suitable for real-life, real-time consumer applications. This is achieved by adopting an acoustic model for the environment developed in the SONORA project, which is based on the concept of equivalent sources and integrates remarkably well with existing approaches to anechoic auralization. The proof of concept will be conceived as an XR sound art installation which hence not only serves to demonstrate the feasibility of the approach but also provides a framework for end users to experience and reflect on how XR impacts their lives and their views on culture and society. In this way, the project is anticipated to have an economic as well as a societal innovation potential. A two-fold pathway from research to innovation is proposed: a Research & Development Pathway in which the remaining technical challenges will be addressed and the proof of concept will be developed and implemented, and an Exploitation Pathway in which the IPR strategy will be developed and a market study and technology promotion will be pursued.

Keywords:XR, acoustics

Disciplines:Audio and speech processing, Interactive media, Signal processing, Acoustics, noise and vibration engineering, Sonic arts