Page 30 - Winter 2010

Fig. 7. Advanced speech perception laboratory.
• Designed to investigate advanced methods for improvement of speech intelligibility
• Research conducted in speech intelligibility, spatial hearing, and sound source localization
Integrated Visualization Platform (A WSU/daytaOhio Facility)—Fig. 8
• Multiple distributed immersive facilities depicting a
common, synchronized virtual environment
• A 4-wall large-screen data wall at daytaOhio, a 4-wall immersive facility at Wright State University, and a 5- wall immersive facility located in AFRL’s Battlespace
Acoustic Branch
• Multimodal display systems including stereoscopic
visualizations, 3-D audio and haptic/tactile displays
• Research platform designed for evaluating the effec- tiveness of advanced displays and technologies in
operationally-relevant scenarios
Bioacoustics
The AFRL acoustics group has a very strong commit- ment to basic research. The Air Force Office of Scientific Research gives special recognition to a top small percentage of the funded research teams. The bioacoustics group has been awarded “STAR Team” status from 2002-2011 (the award is normally made for a grant period of approximately 3 years and can be made at the beginning of a grant). The work is centered on the analysis and processing of complex acoustic scenes. This includes efforts in speech perception and spatial hearing in complex multi-source auditory envi-
ronments and investigations of the relative effects of ener- getic and informational masking in such environments. Additional basic research focuses on the investigation of bone/tissue conducted noise and the relation between the perception of air conducted and bone/tissue conducted stim- uli, in loudness judgment linearity, localization error, and temporary threshold shift.
The applied research program focuses on developing innovative technologies and procedures and transitioning them to field use. Frequently these products have application not only for Air Force use, but also for use by the Army, Navy,
Fig. 8. Integrated Visualization Platform—left: 4-wall large-screen data wall at daytaOhio, a 4-wall immersive facility at Wright State University, and a 5-wall immersive facility located in AFRL’s Battlespace Acoustic Branch; middle: multimodal display systems including stereoscopic visualizations, 3-D audio and haptic/tactile displays; right: research platform designed for evaluating the effectiveness of advanced displays and technologies in operationally-relevant scenarios.
Fig. 9. F-35 Lightning II (Joint Strike Fighter), ground run-up noise measurement—left: the aircraft; right: the crew and some of the near-field sensors
26 Acoustics Today, January 2010