SONICOM to be featured at the Royal Society’s Summer Science Exhibition
SONICOM research has been selected to exhibit at the Royal Society’s Summer Science Exhibition – one of the largest science engagement festivals in the UK – from 4-9 July 2023.
As the Royal Society’s flagship event, the Summer Science Exhibition attracts thousands of visitors every year to meet world-leading researchers and learn about some of the UK’s most exciting science.
The ‘Virtual Audio: Illusion or Reality?’ exhibit led by Lorenzo Picinali features research projects from Picinali’s Audio Experience Design team at Imperial College London, including SONICOM and the NIHR-funded BEARS project.
“In times like these, when it is still uncertain whether the UK will be able to participate in future EU research funding schemes, it is more important than ever to present and demonstrate EU funded research in a prestigious London venue,” said Picinali
Demonstrating cutting-edge research
The Virtual Audio: Illusion or Reality? exhibit focuses on how people and technology can adapt to each other to enhance virtual and physical interactions.
Visitors to the exhibit will get the opportunity to learn about SONICOM through chats with members of the team and hands-on activities.
As a core tenet of SONICOM is the personalisation of audio based on our physical morphology, visitors will get the opportunity have their heads 3D scanned during the exhibit. We hope this will foster discussions around how our head and ear shape can affect the way we receive sound, and that adapting technology to our individual differences can make audio more realistic and immersive.
Visitors will also get the opportunity to listen to examples of binaural audio (i.e. immersive audio over headphones – an example can be listened to below), and directly experience how people with different ear and head morphology hear sounds.
Alongside the physical exhibit, the team have produced an online portal where people can learn about the team’s research, watch videos, and sign up for experiments.
The Summer Science Exhibition takes place at the Royal Society, Carlton House Terrace, London, SW1Y 5AG from Tuesday 4 July 2023 to Sunday 9 July 2023. The event is free and open to the public.
