ABSTRACT
During the past decade binaural technology has become an enabling tech nology with a significant impact on various fields, such as information technology, human/machine interfaces, hearing aids, and advanced sound measurement techniques. In this chapter a review of the scientific founda tions and generic application areas of binaural technology is presented. To this end three aspects are discussed separately, namely, the physical, psy choacoustic, and psychological aspects of binaural hearing, which together comprise binaural technology. The physical aspect is concerned with the input signals to the two ears before they reach the inner ears; the psychoacoustical aspect deals mainly with signal processing in the subcortical audi tory system; and the psychological aspect focuses on cognitive brain function with respect to binaural hearing. It becomes clear that today’s binaural technology rests mainly on our knowledge of the physical aspect, with an increasing use of psychoacoustics. Technology exploitation of the cognitive psychology of binaural hearing has barely begun.
