 The path that acoustic waves follow around and through the human head subtly alters them in a way that allows people to subconsciously locate the source of a sound. One of the drawbacks of hearing aids is that although they can amplify sounds, they can’t provide the perceptual cues required for sound localization. The first step in filling in the missing piece of hearing for the millions of people who wear hearing devices is to develop a thorough understanding of how sound interacts with the head, a project pursued by NPACI researchers. One computational approach to plotting sound around the head essentially involves draping it with a digital mesh consisting of fixed points, then aiming acoustic waves at those points and recording the flow. The images on the front cover depict simulations of acoustic pressure around the head at a variety of frequencies.
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