Navigate as a bat. Real-time echolocation system in virtual reality

Several studies provide evidence that blind people orient themselves using echolocation, transmitting signals with mouth clicks. Our previous study within embodiment in Virtual Reality (VR) showed the possibility to enhance a Virtual Body Ownership (VBO) illusion over a body morphologically different from human in the presence of agency. In this paper, we explore real-time audio navigation with echolocation in Virtual Environment (VE) in order to create a feeling of being a virtual bat. This includes imitation of the sonar system, which might help to achieve a stronger VBO illusion in the future, as well as build an echolocation training simulator. Two pilot tests were conducted using a within-subject study design, exploring time and traveled distance during spatial orientation in VE. Both studies, involved four conditions - early reflections, reverb, early reflections-reverb (with deprived visual cues) and finally vision. This resulted in preferred reflection pulses for the test subjects with musical background, while only reverberation features were favored by non-musicians, when being exposed to VE walking-based task.