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Aalto Acoustics Lab

Reshaping Spatial Acoustics (RESPA)

Reshaping Spatial Acoustics (RESPA) is a cross-disciplinary project that explores how sound is experienced as an embodied part of augmented reality (AR) environments. Bringing together art, acoustics, computer science, and psychology, the project examines how AR audio shapes perception, presence, and our everyday technologized lifeworld.
RESPA

Description

RESPA investigates how sound in AR is never simply "natural," but is always mediated by technology, space, and listening practices. Combining perspectives from empirical aesthetics, philosophy of technology, acoustic studies, and perception research, the project seeks to understand how virtual and real-world sounds blend and what makes AR audio feel plausible, meaningful, and ethically acceptable. A central outcome of the project is an AR telepresence demo developed at the Aalto Acoustics Lab, in which users wearing mixed reality glasses can see and hear a remote person as a life-sized hologram that is visually and acoustically integrated into their real environment. This demo serves as a test bed for studying how sound influences presence, communication, and interpersonal distance in hybrid digital–physical spaces. RESPA's insights will inform future design guidelines for AR audio, taking into account the aesthetic, emotional, and ethical dimensions of embodied listening.

People

 Tapio Lokki

Tapio Lokki

Professor
T412 Department of Information and Communications Engineering

Nils Meyer-Kahlen

Post-doctoral researcher

News

Four scenes: anechoic chamber, yellow robotic dog, people in blue chamber, and a person working with equipment.
Campus Published:

Visit the electrical engineering laboratories in spring 2026

Welcome to visit the Robotics Lab, the Acoustics Lab, the Electronics-ICT laboratory, and the ePowerHub laboratory!
Centre photo of Eloi Moliner and teammates on conference stage, surrounded by images of his awards.
Awards and Recognition, Research & Art Published:

Postdoctoral researcher Eloi Moliner makes history as a 5-time award winner

Eloi Moliner is one of the most decorated doctoral researchers in Aalto University's history – we would like to highlight his success and contributions to the field of audio signal processing
Five men holding conference certificates stand beside a banner for the 28th International Conference on Digital Audio Effects.
Awards and Recognition Published:

Double triumph: Aalto acoustics researchers win big in Italy

The International Conference on Digital Audio Effects (DAFx) 2025 witnessed a remarkable achievement by researchers from the Aalto University Acoustics Lab, as Eloi Moliner and Professor Vesa Välimäki brought home two prestigious paper awards, showcasing cutting-edge innovation in audio signal processing.
Aalto Scientific Computing
Research & Art, Studies Published:

Scientific Computing Skills: a new umbrella course for all researchers

Today, computing skills are essential not only in academic research but also across industries. Take part in hands-on trainings provided by Aalto Scientific Computing and by partner organisations such as CodeRefinery and CSC IT Center for Science.
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