Simulation and visualization of indoor-acoustics for robot control

An autonomous robot orientates itself by using information provided by its sensor systems. Besides distance sensors, optical and acoustic sensors play a vital role in fulfilling this task. In this paper we present a novel approach to simulate and visualize the acoustic properties of an indoor scene. This simulation data is used for testing and refining the control algorithms of an autonomous robot interacting with humans in an office environment. In order to enable a robot to interact with its environment and to perform its intended tasks in a context-sensitive manner, it must be capable of interpreting the information provided by its sensor systems. For testing these interpretation capabilities, certain environmental stimuli need to be provided to the robot in a controlled and repeatable manner. However, such stimuli are not available normally. The presented work provides a virtual testing environment that permits the realistic simulation and visualization of the acoustic properties of indoor-environments. Thus, it is possible to simulate and visualize the spread of sound waves within a room and to simulate the acoustic signals a robot receives at certain positions. Using such well-defined test conditions and a visual representation of the spread of sound in the test environment, it is now possible to find positions of special acoustic properties and to use them for testing the robot's reactions to acoustic events. On this basis, the robot's control algorithms can be refined accordingly.