Spatial audio can transform digital interactions by making them more natural and human. It could be especially important for XR technologies that involve collaboration and remote work. Most recent iPhones and Apple Music subscribers can hear spatial audio, and many AV receivers and gaming consoles. Users must have the right hardware and software to listen to spatial audio.
Immersive Experiences
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Spatial audio builds upon traditional stereo playback to give a sense of 3D sound. It takes height into account as well as the listener’s movement (head tracking). It’s typically used with headphones and earbuds and isn’t available over speakers. It can be used to deliver a whole host of different immersive experiences. For example, a virtual experience can be developed to educate patients about their condition. This can help patients understand their symptoms, the prolonged effects of the state on the body with and without treatment, and a plan of action for living a healthy lifestyle. It is a particularly effective way to communicate complex information to young people who sometimes struggle with abstract concepts. Children may learn about the human body engagingly using immersive technologies like VR and AR, which might be challenging to grasp otherwise. Using immersive technology to educate and inform healthcare patients and the wider population about complex issues could significantly impact patient outcomes. The key is to make these tools accessible and easy to use.
Empathy
Empathy is understanding and sharing another person’s situation, perspective, or feelings. This understanding is the foundation of effective patient-physician communication, but many telehealth and Medicine 2.08 technologies cannot convey this understanding through their digital medium. However, by adding spatial audio to virtual interactions, this problem can be overcome. Spatial audio allows users to perceive where a sound is coming from in a space, making it possible to feel like they are in the same room as their contacts. As such, audio technology like spatial audio can bring an extra dimension to healthcare experiences and help users connect with their peers in previously impossible ways. For example, a diabetes specialist nurse using video visits to discuss an individual’s insulin management needs can better demonstrate empathy by creating an immersive environment with spatial audio that makes it easier for patients to keep track of voices. In addition, this technology can help alleviate some of the stress and anxiety experienced before a consultation.
Wellbeing
A growing body of evidence supports the hypothesis that immersive audio can provide wellbeing benefits. The technology allows listeners to perceive better where sound is coming from and creates a sense of depth and space missing in 2D digital reproductions that often leave us feeling flat and confused. Streaming services have caught on to the trend. All you need is a set of headphones that support this format and an internet connection. The same technology creates dynamic ambient soundscapes that subtly enliven and soften hospital rooms and other medical facilities.
Training
There are companies with new spatial audio technology that lets you hear sounds around you like they’d be in real life. It’s been rolled out to Apple Music on iPhone, iPad and the latest Apple TV models. It makes it much easier to distinguish between different voices and find a speaker speaking to you from a distance, for example. But spatial audio has many more uses than just listening to your favorite song. Well-produced spatial audio can make you feel like walking into a forest or attending an in-person event. It can also make it more obvious when someone in the virtual meeting room is cracking jokes or sharing banter designed to bring everyone together in a positive and collaborative space. XR developers increasingly use spatial audio to enhance the immersive experience of virtual meetings, collaboration and gaming experiences. The changing software landscape, combined with hardware innovations like ergonomic solutions for headsets and speakers, is making it easier than ever to integrate spatial audio. Eventually, we’ll see it as a standard feature for any XR experience.
Collaboration
Spatial technology makes it possible for anyone to create immersive audio experiences. It is a flexible, powerful, scalable platform allowing new collaboration opportunities in many industries and applications, including digital health. For example, a virtual scene like the natural landscape of a beach or summer meadow can subtly enliven and soften a hospital room. A soundscape can also be designed to play continuously, allowing dynamic ambient sound to reverberate throughout the facility. XR innovators recognize the potential of spatial audio for building more meaningful virtual content and experiences. Still, it will take the industry to embrace this new technology to achieve its full impact. The current spotlight thrown onto spatial audio and the recent flood of investments in the space may help catalyze that movement. The results could be a much healthier — and more enjoyable — audio experience for consumers.
