A Mounted Vibrotactile Headset Design For Investigation of Multisensory Integrations For Improving Sound Localisation Accuracy

Abstract: This engineering brief outlines the design and implementation of a vibrotactile headset for use in experiments related to cross-modal auditory localisation. The device elicits vibration to the scalp through transducers mounted on a silicon cap and is considered for use in research for improving sound localisation in non-individualised binaural rendering through an addtional modality. The system is optimised to create a somatosensory receptor sensitivity map to vibrational actuation in terms of perceptive directionality on the scalp surface. The paper documents the headset design and the characterisation of eccentric rotation motors and linear resonance actuators for use in the device. The headset design is highly applicable to audio for virtual and augmented reality applications, where users wear a video headset.