Reshaping Spatial Acoustics (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.
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Acoustics Lab Links
News
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!
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
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.