Presentation Title
Mapping the Resonance Frequencies of Different Regions of the Skull
Faculty Mentor
Ricky Wong
Start Date
17-11-2018 3:00 PM
End Date
17-11-2018 5:00 PM
Location
CREVELING 18
Session
POSTER 3
Type of Presentation
Poster
Subject Area
behavioral_social_sciences
Abstract
Research Abstract
Bone conduction, a technology that was originally used to treat hearing-impaired patients, has taken center stage as the new audio technology of the 21st century. By circumventing the eardrum, bone conduction headphones are capable of delivering music without blocking out the ambient sound. However, this convenience comes at a cost of losing a significant amount of audio quality. We hypothesized that this is due to the limited resonance frequency range of the temporal bones where “bonephones” are usually placed at. To quantitatively determine these frequency ranges, a bone oscillator was placed on different parts of the subject’s head to vibrate at different frequencies within the audible spectrum (20 Hz ~ 20 kHz). The oscillator vibrated continuously at a specific interval of frequencies from low to high. A button was used for the subject to press when he/she perceives maximum intensity of the sound. Our results indeed showed a variation of resonance frequencies throughout the skull. The most significant variations came from the occipital bone, 50~320 Hz (low), the temporal bone, 700~1.4 kHz (mid), and the parietal bone, 1.8 to 2 kHz (high). By studying the various resonance frequency ranges of the different regions of the skull, we believe that this can achieve a higher level of bone conduction technology. This research could have various applications in VR (virtual reality helmets), 5G audio networking (e.g. bone conduction hearing headrests) and many other aspects that make use of the technology.
Mapping the Resonance Frequencies of Different Regions of the Skull
CREVELING 18
Research Abstract
Bone conduction, a technology that was originally used to treat hearing-impaired patients, has taken center stage as the new audio technology of the 21st century. By circumventing the eardrum, bone conduction headphones are capable of delivering music without blocking out the ambient sound. However, this convenience comes at a cost of losing a significant amount of audio quality. We hypothesized that this is due to the limited resonance frequency range of the temporal bones where “bonephones” are usually placed at. To quantitatively determine these frequency ranges, a bone oscillator was placed on different parts of the subject’s head to vibrate at different frequencies within the audible spectrum (20 Hz ~ 20 kHz). The oscillator vibrated continuously at a specific interval of frequencies from low to high. A button was used for the subject to press when he/she perceives maximum intensity of the sound. Our results indeed showed a variation of resonance frequencies throughout the skull. The most significant variations came from the occipital bone, 50~320 Hz (low), the temporal bone, 700~1.4 kHz (mid), and the parietal bone, 1.8 to 2 kHz (high). By studying the various resonance frequency ranges of the different regions of the skull, we believe that this can achieve a higher level of bone conduction technology. This research could have various applications in VR (virtual reality helmets), 5G audio networking (e.g. bone conduction hearing headrests) and many other aspects that make use of the technology.