This book covers all aspects of head-related transfer function (HRTF), from the fundamentals through to the latest applications, such as 3D sound systems. An introductory chapter defines HRTF, describes the coordinate system used in the book, and presents the most recent research achievements in the field. HRTF and sound localization in the horizontal and median planes are then explained, followed by discussion of individual differences in HRTF, solutions to this individuality (personalization of HRTF), and methods of sound image control for an arbitrary 3D direction, encompassing both classic theory and state of the art data. The relations between HRTF and sound image distance and between HRTF and speech intelligibility are fully explored, and measurement and signal processing methods for HRTF are examined in depth. Here, supplementary material is provided to enable readers to measure and analyze HRTF by themselves. In addition, some typical HRTF databases are compared. The final two chapters are devoted to the principles and applications of acoustic virtual reality. This clearly written book will be ideal for all who wish to learn about HRTF and how to use it in their research.

This book systematically details the basic principles and applications of head-related transfer function (HRTF) and virtual auditory display (VAD), and reviews the latest developments in the field, especially those from the author’s own state-of-the-art research group. Head-Related Transfer Function and Virtual Auditory Display covers binaural hearing and the basic principles, experimental measurements, computation, physical characteristics analyses, filter design, and customization of HRTFs. It also details the principles and applications of VADs, including headphone and loudspeaker-based binaural reproduction, virtual reproduction of stereophonic and multi-channel surround sound, binaural room simulation, rendering systems for dynamic and real-time virtual auditory environments, psychoacoustic evaluation and validation of VADs, and a variety of applications of VADs. This guide provides all the necessary knowledge and latest results for researchers, graduate students, and engineers who work in the field of HRTF and VAD.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the Second International Conference on Virtual Reality, ICVR 2007, held in Beijing, China. It covers 3D rendering and visualization, interacting and navigating in virtual and augmented environments, industrial applications of virtual reality, as well as health, cultural, educational and entertainment applications.

The current popular and scientific interest in virtual environments has provided a new impetus for investigating binaural and spatial hearing. However, the many intriguing phenomena of spatial hearing have long made it an exciting area of scientific inquiry. Psychophysical and physiological investigations of spatial hearing seem to be converging on common explanations of underlying mechanisms. These understandings have in turn been incorporated into sophisticated yet mathematically tractable models of binaural interaction. Thus, binaural and spatial hearing is one of the few areas in which professionals are soon likely to find adequate physiological explanations of complex psychological phenomena that can be reasonably and usefully approximated by mathematical and physical models. This volume grew out of the Conference on Binaural and Spatial Hearing, a four-day event held at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in response to rapid developments in binaural and spatial hearing research and technology. Meant to be more than just a proceedings, it presents chapters that are longer than typical proceedings papers and contain considerably more review material, including extensive bibliographies in many cases. Arranged into topical sections, the chapters represent major thrusts in the recent literature. The authors of the first chapter in each section have been encouraged to take a broad perspective and review the current state of literature. Subsequent chapters in each section tend to be somewhat more narrowly focused, and often emphasize the authors' own work. Thus, each section provides overview, background, and current research on a particular topic. This book is significant in that it reviews the important work during the past 10 to 15 years, and provides greater breadth and depth than most of the previous works.