Development of novel audio-interfaces using the distantly-presented bone-conducted ultrasound

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20H04497
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 90110:Biomedical engineering-related
• Research Institution: Chiba University
• Principal Investigator: Nakagawa Seiji 千葉大学, フロンティア医工学センター, 教授 (70357614)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 大塚 翔 千葉大学, フロンティア医工学センター, 助教 (00776049) ; チン シュウユェン 千葉大学, フロンティア医工学センター, 特任助教 (70828136)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 骨伝導 / 超音波 / 遠位呈示 / 知覚特性 / 体内伝搬特性

Outline of Final Research Achievements

High-frequency sounds above 20 kHz presented by bone conduction (bone-conducted ultrasound: BCU) can be perceived by some of the most profoundly deaf. The BCU is perceived even when presented distally from the head, such as in the upper limbs or trunk. This “distant presentation” enables the development of a new type of device that is comfortable to wear and does not leak sound. However, the perception mechanism of distally presented bone-conducted ultrasound remains unclear. We have investigated the perceptual characteristics and propagation mechanism of distantly presented bone-conducted ultrasound through psychophysical and vibration measurements on human subjects and computer simulations, and verified the possibility of its application to hearing aids and new types of audio devices.

Free Research Field

生体医工学，聴覚科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本申請課題で解明に取り組んだ遠位呈示骨導超音波知覚，その応用として開発を目指す新型オーディオ・デバイスはいずれもほとんど前例のないもので，技術的にも極めてユニークである． また，本提案課題で明らかにした遠位呈示骨伝導の知覚特性や伝搬メカニズムは，遠位呈示骨伝導デバイスの実用性を示すと同時にその最適化に有用な知見を示すものであり，骨伝導デバイスの普及に貢献するものと思われる．