CUTANEOUS SENSES FOR DETECTION AND LOCALIZATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL SOUND SOURCES - A REVIEW AND TUTORIAL

A review and tutorial on the potential use of the skin for sound local ization are presented. Some basic physical and psychophysical properti es are reviewed; special properties and phantom perceptions associated with cutaneous stimulation are presented; experiments by Bekesy, Gesc heider, Frost, Richardson and Weisenberger on different instrumentatio n for/and results on localization of sound sources with skin stimulati on are analysed. The best results have been obtained using intensity d ifferences between two vibrators. Sound source localization precision approaching that of the auditory sense in quiet surroundings has been obtained, particularly when free head movements are allowed. Significa nt results have also been obtained with temporal differences, provided the natural sound delay between the ears is increased to fit the codi ng characteristics of the skin. As yet, no portable equipment has been designed and tested in realistic environments.