Concert viewing headphones

Abstract

We designed concert viewing headphones that are equipped with a projector, an inclination sensor on the top of the headphones, and a distance sensor on the outside right speaker (Figure 1). Previously reported headphones with sensors for detecting the direction the user is facing or the location of the head can escalate the musical presence and create a realistic impression, but they do not control the volumes and panoramic potentiometers of each part in accordance with the user's wishes [Pachet and Delerue 2000]. We previously developed sound scope headphones that enable users to change the sound mixing depending on their head direction [Hamanaka and Lee 2009]. However, the system did not have handle images. In contrast, our headphones let a user listening and watching to music scope a particular part that he or she wants to hear and see. For example, when listening to jazz, one might want to clearly hear and see the guitar or sax. By moving your head left or right, you can hear the guitar or sax sound from a frontal position. By simply putting your hand behind your ear, you can adjust the distance sensor on the headphones and focus on a particular part you want to hear and see.