Simulating hearing loss in virtual training

Audio systems for virtual reality and augmented reality training environments commonly focus on high-quality audio reproduction. Yet many trainees may face real-world situations where hearing is compromised. In these cases, the hindrance caused by impaired or lost hearing is a significant stressor that may affect performance. Because this phenomenon is hard to simulate without actually causing hearing damage, trainees are largely unpracticed at operating with diminished hearing. To improve the match between training scenarios and the real-world situation, this effort aims to add simulated hearing loss or impairment as a training variable. Stated briefly, the goal is to effect everything users hear — including non-simulated sounds such as their own and each other's voices — without damaging their hearing, being overtly noticeable, or requiring the donning of headphones.