HTX has developed an AI model that can be used by investigators to pinpoint where a sound like a scream or a gunshot occurred.
ALLURE creates virtual simulations of how sound propagates in the indoor space. (Photo: HTX)
Dr Wong Swee Liang and Dr Yuan Yidi from HTX’s Disruptive Technologies Office have developed a proof-of-concept trial of an artificial intelligence (AI) model that can be used by investigators. This tool, Acoustic Localisation Leveraging on Unique Reverb Environment (ALLURE), is a custom trained AI model that can help investigators pinpoint where a sound like a scream or a gunshot occurred.
This technology can be useful for incidents where security cameras are also making audio recordings of the location. Using a 3D map of the indoor environment, ALLURE can build a virtual environment that represents how sound propagates in the area. With this virtual environment, ALLURE can then use the audio recording of the sound to determine where it originated.
How does ALLURE do this? It first determines the unique echo signatures of the different rooms based on their 3D geometry, their furniture, and the materials they are made from. By generating simulations of each room’s echo signature relative to known audio recorder positions, ALLURE can replicate all the possible echoes that can be captured. Based on these simulations, ALLURE can identify the room where the audio recording has the best match. How accurate is ALLURE? Dr Wong and Dr Yuan have determined that in an indoor environment with ten rooms, ALLURE attains close to 80% accuracy.
ALLURE can analyse audio reverberation data to pinpoint the origin of a sound. (Photo: HTX)What’s next for ALLURE? As it is currently based on virtual environments, the research team next plans for physical validation of its echo-based AI model based on real rooms. They also plan to add capabilities such as dereverberation of audio recordings and the direct comparison of reverberations. In the longer term, the researchers are developing a general framework for the construction of AI agents that can analyse all given data and automate a multitude of tasks.
ALLURE was recently showcased at the
Milipol Asia-Pacific – TechX Summit held at the Marina Bay Sands convention centre from 3-5 April 2024.