Weirding Haptics: In-Situ Prototyping of Vibrotactile Feedback in Virtual Reality through Vocalization

Effective haptic feedback in virtual reality (VR) is an essential element for creating convincing immersive experiences. To design such feedback, state-of-the-art VR setups provide APIs for programmatically generating controller vibration patterns. While tools for designing vibrotactile feedback keep evolving, they often require expert knowledge...

Development of a model to assess masking potential for marine mammals by the use of air guns in Antarctic waters

We estimated the long-range effects of air gun array noise on marine mammal communication ranges in the Southern Ocean. Air gun impulses are subject to significant distortion during propagation, potentially resulting in a quasi- continuous sound. Propagation modeling to estimate the received waveform was conducted. A leaky integrator was used as...

Classification of large acoustic datasets using machine learning and crowdsourcing: Application to whale calls

Vocal communication is a primary communication method of killer and pilot whales, and is used for transmitting a broad range of messages and information for short and long distance. The large variation in call types of these species makes it challenging to categorize them. In this study, sounds recorded by audio sensors carried by ten killer...

Vocal matching of naval sonar signals by long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas)

Development of a model to assess masking potential for marine mammals by the use of airguns in Antarctic waters (abstract)

Functional marine mammal acoustic communication evolved under natural ambient noise levels, which makes communication vulnerable to intense, anthropogenic noise sources. We consider the potential long-range reduction effects of airgun noise on marine mammal communication range. During the propagation process, airgun impulses are reflected...

Responses of male sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) to killer whale sounds: Implications for anti-predator strategies

Interactions between individuals of different cetacean species are often observed in the wild. Killer whales (Orcinus orca) can be potential predators of many other cetaceans, and the interception of their vocalizations by unintended cetacean receivers may trigger anti-predator behavior that could mediate predator-prey interactions. We explored...

Pilot Whales Attracted to Killer Whale Sounds: Acoustically-Mediated Interspecific Interactions in Cetaceans

In cetaceans’ communities, interactions between individuals of different species are often observed in the wild. Yet, due to methodological and technical challenges very little is known about the mediation of these interactions and their effect on cetaceans’ behavior. Killer whales (Orcinus orca) are a highly vocal species and can be both food...

Underwater hearing sensitivity of a male and a female Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus)

The unmasked underwater hearing sensitivities of an 8-year-old male and a 7-year-old female Steller sea lion were measured in a pool, by using behavioral psychophysics. The animals were trained with positive reinforcement to respond when they detected an acoustic signal and not to respond when they did not. The signals were narrow-band,...