A Mobile Augmented Reality Audio System with Binaural Microphones

by Robert Albrecht and Tapio Lokki
Aalto University School of Science, Finland

This paper presents a mic-through augmented reality hardware system, consisting of insert headphones with binaural microphones, together with a separate mixer and equalizer unit. The equalizer compensates for changes in ear canal resonances caused by the headphones blocking the ear canals, and is used to achieve natural sound. The system can be used both for pure augmented reality applications and for any applications presenting audio through headphones while allowing the user to listen to the environment at the same time. Examples of both types of applications are given. The applications can utilize the binaural microphone signal and the user can adjust the level of the environmental sounds heard through the headphones.