Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	GR/L89815/01
Title:	ORIENTATION & NAVIGATION IN VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS BY ACTIVE SONAR: EXTENDING PERCEPTUAL INTERFACES
Principal Investigator:	Bull, Professor D
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:	Sound Alert Ltd
Department:	Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Organisation:	University of Bristol
Scheme:	Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts:	29 September 1998	Ends:	28 September 2001	Value (£):	49,221
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Human-Computer Interactions
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	No relevance to Underpinning Sectors
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Summary on Grant Application Form
This project will develop active sonar techniques for use in vertical environments, whereby an explorer will be able to use the virtual echoes from objects to orient. The echoes will be modelled on the echolocation system of bats, but be time-scaled to allow the full temporal and spectral resolution of the human auditory system to be exploited. The explorer will have an acoustic torch with which they will be able to ensonify objects and be able to be spatialised in stereo to provide an acoustic map of the virtual environment. The aim of this project is to provide a tool for those with visual disabilities to access VR and to extend VR design to include acoustic as well as visual maps. This has applications in data interpretation, the entertainment industry and in conventional radar data presentation.
Key Findings
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Potential use in non-academic contexts
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Impacts
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher
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Project URL:
Further Information:
Organisation Website:	http://www.bris.ac.uk