Research on the Swimmer's Auditory Characteristics

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K04260
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 20010:Mechanics and mechatronics-related
• Research Institution: Keio University
• Principal Investigator: OHGI Yuji 慶應義塾大学, 政策・メディア研究科(藤沢), 教授 (90317313)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 成田 健造 鹿屋体育大学, スポーツ・武道実践科学系, 助教 (70836999) ; 谷川 哲朗 大阪国際大学, 人間科学部, 講師 (90615452)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 水中聴覚 / 水中音響 / 水泳 / 骨伝導 / 視覚障がい水泳

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study aims to clarify the mechanism of underwater hearing: how do humans listen to sound sources emitted underwater while swimming? The experiment was conducted in an indoor swimming pool, which can create a quiet environment free from vibration and noise. A tethered crawling swimmer remained in a fixed position, and the frequencies used in octave band analysis were transmitted from an underwater loudspeaker placed at the side of the swimmer. A response test was conducted to determine whether or not the swimmer heard the frequencies during the swim. The results of the experiment on seven subjects showed that hearing was very poor in the low frequency range, and that their hearing changed depending on whether they concentrated on the sound rather than swimming.

Free Research Field

スポーツ工学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

水中で音を聴くという課題はこれまで潜水士，スクーバダイバー等の水中安全確保を研究対象にしており完全水没状態での検討がなされてきた．しかしながら一般の人にとっての水環境は泳ぎ，すなわち水面付近であることは言うまでもなく，この空気と水との境界面における聴覚の生理現象は全く未知の問題である．音によって壁への接近を視覚障がい水泳選手に知らせるという申請者がこれまでに取り組んできた用具開発によって浮かんできたこの疑問を明らかにすることは，水中運動における危険報知にくわえ，水中での音声伝送や水中音響アミューズメントといった方面への応用も期待される