Synthesizing sounds which occur when physically-simulated objects collide in a virtual environment can give more dynamic and realistic sounds compared to pre-recorded sound effects. This real-time computation of sound samples can be computationally intense. In this study we investigate a synthesis algorithm operating in the frequency domain, previously shown to be more efficient than time domain synthesis, and propose a further optimization using multi-threading on the CPU. The multi-threaded synthesis algorithm was designed and implemented as part of a game being developed by Axolot Games. Measurements were done in three stress-testing cases to investigate how multi-threading improved the synthesis performance. Compared to our single-threaded approach, the synthesis speed was improved by 80% when using 8 threads, running on an i7 processor with hyper-threading enabled. We conclude that synthesis of contact sounds is viable for games and similar real-time applications, when using the investigated optimization. 140000 mode shapes were synthesized 30% faster than real-time, and this is arguably much more than a user can distinguish. / Syntetisering av ljud som uppstår när fysikobjekt kolliderar i en virtuell miljö kan ge mer dynamiska och realistiska ljudeffekter, men är krävande att beräkna. I det här examensarbetet implementerades ljudsyntes i frekvensdomänen baserat på en tidigare studie, och utvecklades sedan vidare till att utnyttja multipla trådar. Enligt mätningar i tre olika testfall kunde den multitrådade implementationen syntetisera 80% fler ljudvågor än den enkeltrådade, på en i7-processor. / <p>Author's website: www.robinerd.com</p>

Recent investigations suggest that rhythmic movements rely on two distinct timing systems: event and emergent timing. Event timing is based on an explicit internal representation of the temporal interval marked by clear perceptual detectible events whereas emergent timing is derived from the dynamics of smooth and continuous movements. However, crucial aspects of the distinction between these mechanisms remain unclear. This thesis investigates the role of expectancy and skill in the internal representation of time in event timing and emergent timing. Chapter 1 introduces the theoretical framework that supports the differentiation between event and emergent timing mechanisms and presents the hypotheses that were tested. Chapter 2 describes a series of five experiments that investigated the role of expectancy through examining the effect of a single unexpected perturbation of feedback content (e.g. pitch, timbre, intensity) on timing of finger tapping. Chapter 3 expands this question by investigating the effect of unexpected auditory perturbations on two types of timed movements: event and emergent timing. The role of expertise and training on motor timing is the subject of discussion of Chapters 4 to 6 where a total of 4 experiments tested the effect of expertise and music training on accuracy of finger tapping and circle drawing tasks. More specifically, Chapter 4 compares accuracy levels of experts in movement-based activities (music and sports) with non experts, whereas Chapters 5 and 6 focus on the effect of music training on event and emergent timing in students of 10 to 14 years of age. Finally, Chapter 7 reviews and discusses the main findings of this body of work with respect to current theories of timing and movement. Foremost, these data challenge current models of human movements controlled by event and emergent timing mechanisms demonstrating that expectancy and training are crucial in determining the timing strategy and the type of expectancy mechanisms adopted to perform distinct rhythmic movements / Estudos recentes sugerem que movimentos rítmicos dependem de dois sistemas distintos para controle do tempo, chamados tempo emergente e discreto. Sugere-se que tempo discreto baseia-se em uma representação interna do tempo intervalar que é marcada por eventos perceptuais evidentes, enquanto tempo emergente origina-se da própria dinâmica dos movimentos contínuous. No entanto, aspectos cruciais da diferença entre esses mecanismos ainda necessitam ser examinados. Esta tese investiga o papel de expectativas e treino no controle temporal de movimentos rítmicos contínuous e discretos. Capítulo 1 introduz as bases teóricas que subsidiam as hipóteses testadas no presente trabalho. Capítulo 2 descreve uma série de cinco experimentos que investigam a importância da retroalimentação auditiva e dos mecanismos de expectativa, e assim examina o efeito de uma perturbação inesperada e transitória no conteúdo do feedback (e.x. altura, timbre, intensidade) na precisão temporal de movimentos rítmicos discretos (i.e. finger tapping). Capítulo 3 expande essa investigação e analisa o efeito de perturbações inesperadas da retroalimentação auditivo em tarefas de movimentos contínuos, como desenhar círculos repetidamente. O papel do treinamento para o controle temporal é foco de discussão nos Capítulos 4 a 6, onde se descrevem um total de quatro experimentos que testam o efeito de expertise e treino na precisão de movimentos em tarefas de finger tapping e desenho de círculos. Mais especificamente, Capítulo 4 compara a performance de músicos e atletas com participantes sem nenhum treinamento nestas áreas a fim de examinar o papel do treinamento no controle motor, enquanto os Capítulo 5 e 6 focam no efeito do treino em música no controle temporal de movimentos rítmicos discretos e contínuous em estudantes de 10 a 14 anos de idade. Capítulo 7 revisa e conclui as discussões propostas com base nos principais resultados descritos neste trabalho. Em suma, os resultados apresentam novas e relevantes informações a respeito da importância de expectativas e do treinamento no controle temporal de movimentos rítmicos, cujas implicações podem contribuir significativamente para áreas relacionadas à pedagogia e reabilitação motora. Além disso, esta tese apresenta novas informações que ampliam modelos atuais sobre os mecanismos envolvidos no controle temporal de movimentos rítmicos demonstrando a importância do papel de expectativas, retroalimentação auditiva e do treinamento para determinar os diferentes mecanismos de expectativa adotados pelo sistema nervoso na execução de movimentos rítmicos

Delayed auditory feedback (DAF) is known to produce speech disruptions in fluent speakers. The present study examined the relationship between individuals' susceptibility to DAF and their auditory processing skills. Forty participants (20 males and 20 females) read and produced monologue at no delay and 3 different delay levels of 100, 200, and 400 ms. Auditory processing skills were evaluated using dichotic digits test (DDT) and staggered spondaic word (SSW) test. Males produced significantly more Stuttering-Like Disfluencies (SLDs) under DAF than females. Significantly more SLDs were observed during conversation compared to reading. Overall, there was significant correlation between the frequency of SLDs and auditory performance on SSW test. Females scored significantly better on both SSW test and DDT compared to males. Scores on attention regulation questionnaire were not significantly different between genders. Fewer SLDs observed in females under DAF could be attributed to their superior control of auditory processing resources compared to males.

Le feedback auditif se définit comme un signal auditif qui contient de l'information sur un mouvement. Il a été montré que le feedback auditif peut guider le mouvement en temps réel, mais son influence sur l'apprentissage moteur est moins clair. Cette thèse a pour but d'examiner l'influence du feedback auditif sur l'apprentissage moteur, en se focalisant sur le contrôle temporel des mouvements. Premièrement, nous étudions l'apprentissage moteur chez les non-musiciens sains et montrons qu'ils bénéficient de l'information temporelle contenue dans le feedback auditif et qu'ils sont sensibles aux distortions de cette information temporelle. Deuxièmement, nous appliquons ces connaissances à la rehabilitation de patients cérébro-lésés. Nous trouvons que ces patients améliorent leurs capacités de mouvement mais ne dépendent pas de la correspondance temporelle entre le mouvement et le son. Paradoxalement, ces patients ont même benéficié des distortions temporelles dans le feedback. Troisièmement, nous étudions les experts musicaux, car ils ont établi des liens particulièrement forts entre leur mouvement et le son. Nous développons de nouveaux outils d'analyse qui nous permettent de séparer les déviations temporelles en variation systématique et non-systématique. Le résultat principal est que ces experts sont devenu largement indépendents du feedback auditif. La proposition centrale de cette thèse est que le feedback auditif joue un rôle dans l'apprentissage moteur de la regularité, mais la façon dont le cerveau l'utilise dépend de la population étudiée. Ces résultats donnent une nouvelle perspective sur l'intégration audio-motrice et contribuent au développement de nouvelles approches pour l'apprentissage de la musique et la réhabilitation.

Recent investigations suggest that rhythmic movements rely on two distinct timing systems: event and emergent timing. Event timing is based on an explicit internal representation of the temporal interval marked by clear perceptual detectible events whereas emergent timing is derived from the dynamics of smooth and continuous movements. However, crucial aspects of the distinction between these mechanisms remain unclear. This thesis investigates the role of expectancy and skill in the internal representation of time in event timing and emergent timing. Chapter 1 introduces the theoretical framework that supports the differentiation between event and emergent timing mechanisms and presents the hypotheses that were tested. Chapter 2 describes a series of five experiments that investigated the role of expectancy through examining the effect of a single unexpected perturbation of feedback content (e.g. pitch, timbre, intensity) on timing of finger tapping. Chapter 3 expands this question by investigating the effect of unexpected auditory perturbations on two types of timed movements: event and emergent timing. The role of expertise and training on motor timing is the subject of discussion of Chapters 4 to 6 where a total of 4 experiments tested the effect of expertise and music training on accuracy of finger tapping and circle drawing tasks. More specifically, Chapter 4 compares accuracy levels of experts in movement-based activities (music and sports) with non experts, whereas Chapters 5 and 6 focus on the effect of music training on event and emergent timing in students of 10 to 14 years of age. Finally, Chapter 7 reviews and discusses the main findings of this body of work with respect to current theories of timing and movement. Foremost, these data challenge current models of human movements controlled by event and emergent timing mechanisms demonstrating that expectancy and training are crucial in determining the timing strategy and the type of expectancy mechanisms adopted to perform distinct rhythmic movements / Estudos recentes sugerem que movimentos rítmicos dependem de dois sistemas distintos para controle do tempo, chamados tempo emergente e discreto. Sugere-se que tempo discreto baseia-se em uma representação interna do tempo intervalar que é marcada por eventos perceptuais evidentes, enquanto tempo emergente origina-se da própria dinâmica dos movimentos contínuous. No entanto, aspectos cruciais da diferença entre esses mecanismos ainda necessitam ser examinados. Esta tese investiga o papel de expectativas e treino no controle temporal de movimentos rítmicos contínuous e discretos. Capítulo 1 introduz as bases teóricas que subsidiam as hipóteses testadas no presente trabalho. Capítulo 2 descreve uma série de cinco experimentos que investigam a importância da retroalimentação auditiva e dos mecanismos de expectativa, e assim examina o efeito de uma perturbação inesperada e transitória no conteúdo do feedback (e.x. altura, timbre, intensidade) na precisão temporal de movimentos rítmicos discretos (i.e. finger tapping). Capítulo 3 expande essa investigação e analisa o efeito de perturbações inesperadas da retroalimentação auditivo em tarefas de movimentos contínuos, como desenhar círculos repetidamente. O papel do treinamento para o controle temporal é foco de discussão nos Capítulos 4 a 6, onde se descrevem um total de quatro experimentos que testam o efeito de expertise e treino na precisão de movimentos em tarefas de finger tapping e desenho de círculos. Mais especificamente, Capítulo 4 compara a performance de músicos e atletas com participantes sem nenhum treinamento nestas áreas a fim de examinar o papel do treinamento no controle motor, enquanto os Capítulo 5 e 6 focam no efeito do treino em música no controle temporal de movimentos rítmicos discretos e contínuous em estudantes de 10 a 14 anos de idade. Capítulo 7 revisa e conclui as discussões propostas com base nos principais resultados descritos neste trabalho. Em suma, os resultados apresentam novas e relevantes informações a respeito da importância de expectativas e do treinamento no controle temporal de movimentos rítmicos, cujas implicações podem contribuir significativamente para áreas relacionadas à pedagogia e reabilitação motora. Além disso, esta tese apresenta novas informações que ampliam modelos atuais sobre os mecanismos envolvidos no controle temporal de movimentos rítmicos demonstrando a importância do papel de expectativas, retroalimentação auditiva e do treinamento para determinar os diferentes mecanismos de expectativa adotados pelo sistema nervoso na execução de movimentos rítmicos

Le feedback auditif se définit comme un signal auditif qui contient de l'information sur un mouvement. Il a été montré que le feedback auditif peut guider le mouvement en temps réel, mais son influence sur l'apprentissage moteur est moins clair. Cette thèse a pour but d'examiner l'influence du feedback auditif sur l'apprentissage moteur, en se focalisant sur le contrôle temporel des mouvements. Premièrement, nous étudions l'apprentissage moteur chez les non-musiciens sains et montrons qu'ils bénéficient de l'information temporelle contenue dans le feedback auditif et qu'ils sont sensibles aux distorsions de cette information temporelle. Deuxièmement, nous appliquons ces connaissances à la réhabilitation de patients cérébro-lésés. Nous trouvons que ces patients améliorent leurs capacités de mouvement mais ne dépendent pas de la correspondance temporelle entre le mouvement et le son. Paradoxalement, ces patients ont même bénéficié des distorsions temporelles dans le feedback. Troisièmement, nous étudions les experts musicaux, car ils ont établi des liens particulièrement forts entre leur mouvement et le son. Nous développons de nouveaux outils d'analyse qui nous permettent de séparer les déviations temporelles en variation systématique et non-systématique. Le résultat principal est que ces experts sont devenus largement indépendants du feedback auditif. La proposition centrale de cette thèse est que le feedback auditif joue un rôle dans l'apprentissage moteur de la régularité, mais la façon dont le cerveau l'utilise dépend de la population étudiée. Ces résultats donnent une nouvelle perspective sur l'intégration audio-motrice et contribuent au développement de nouvelles approches pour l'apprentissage de la musique et la réhabilitation / Auditory feedback is an auditory signal that contains information about performed movement. Music performance is an excellent candidate to study its influence on motor actions, since the auditory result is the explicit goal of the movement. Indeed, auditory feedback can guide online motor actions, but its influence on motor learning has been investigated less. This thesis investigates the influence of auditory feedback in motor learning, focusing particularly on how we learn temporal control over movements. First, we investigate motor learning in non-musicians, finding that they benefit from temporal information supplied by the auditory signal and are sensitive to distortions of this temporal information. Second, we turn to stroke patients that are re-learning motor actions in a rehabilitation setting. Patients improved their movement capacities but did not depend on the time-locking between movements and the resulting auditory feedback. Surprisingly, they appear to benefit from distortions in feedback. Third, we investigate musical experts, who arguably have established strong links between movement and auditory feedback. We develop a novel analysis framework that allows us to segment timing into systematic and non-systematic variability. Our finding is that these experts have become largely independent of the auditory feedback. The main claim defended in this thesis is that auditory feedback can and does play a role in motor learning of regularity, but the way in which it is used varies qualitatively between different populations. These findings provide new insights into auditory-motor integration and are relevant for developing new perspectives on the role of music in training and rehabilitation settings

No description available.

Smarta kläder är en kroppsnära teknik som består av kläder som har i sig integrerade/invävda sensorer vilka mäter kroppssignaler, arbetsställningar och rörelser och visar information om eventuella överbelastningar. Syftet i denna studie var att utvärdera prototyp 1 av ett smart arbetsklädersystem genom att utreda användarnas upplevelse (user experience) och användbarhet av prototypen samt prototypens påverkan på testpersonernas arbetsbeteende. En kombinerad studiedesign valdes. Den experimentella studien kompletterades med enkät och intervju. Tolv testpersoner deltog i undersökningen, fördelade lika på tre grupper: en kontrollgrupp och två experimentgrupper. Via tekniska mätningar samlades kinematisk data gällande: handledens vinkelhastighet och tummens tryckkraft; överarmens vinkel för höger- och vänster arm; överarmens vinkelhastighet för höger och vänster arm samt bålens vinkel vid fram- och bakåtböjningar. Signifikanta arbetsbeteendeförändringar kunde ej konstateras, men det förekom stora skillnader i de individuella resultaten i varje grupp. Dock kunde inte något specifikt mönster i arbetsbeteendeförändringar från de olika grupperna urskiljas. Hypotesen att arbetsbeteendeförändringar kan tillskrivas påverkan från prototypen stöddes inte av data. Resultatet från intervju- och enkätundersökning kring användarnas upplevelse och användbarhet visade att prototypen skattades som användarvänlig och användbar i sin helhet. Testpersonerna önskade förändringar i prototypens konstruktion gällande prototypens material och storlek, typ av feedback samt placering av sensorer. Vissa brister i design och utförandet av användartesterna och experimentmätningen konstateras och deras inverkan på studiens validitet och reliabilitet diskuteras. Rekommendationer ges gällande framtida testning av nästa prototyp utifrån de upptäckta bristerna. / Smart clothes are a group of technical aids that consist of clothing that has integrated/built-in sensors that measure body postures and movements and display information about possible physical overload. The purpose of this study was to evaluate prototype 1 of a smart workwear system by investigating its user experience and usability, as well as the impact of the prototype on the test subjects' work behavior. A combined study design was chosen. The experimental study was supplemented with questionnaire and interview. Twelve test subjects split in three equal groups participated in the study: one control group and two experimental groups. Through technical measurements, kinematic data was collected: angular velocity of the wrist and thumb pressure; right and left arm's angle; angular velocity for the right and left arm as well as the torso angle during forward and backward bending. Changes in work behavior were found. However, large differences in the individual results within each group were observed, with no obvious pattern of changes in work behavior between groups. The collected data did not support the hypothesis that work behavior changes can be associated with the impact of the prototype.  The result of analysis of the interviews and questionnaires about user experience and usability showed that the prototype was considered user-friendly and useful in general. Test subjects requested changes in the prototype’s construction regarding the prototype’s material and size, type of feedback and location of sensors.  Some shortcomings are observed in the test design, data collection and also in how the tests were conducted. Their impact on the validity and reliability of the study is discussed; accordingly, recommendations addressing the detected shortcomings are given regarding the future testing of the next prototype.

L’objectif de cette thèse est d’étudier d’une part le problème de sonification d’image et de le solutionner à travers de nouveaux modèles de correspondance entre domaines visuel et sonore. D’autre part d’étudier le problème de la classification de son et de le résoudre avec des méthodes ayant fait leurs preuves dans le domaine de la reconnaissance d’image. La sonification d’image est la traduction de données d’image (forme, couleur, texture, objet) en sons. Il est utilisé dans les domaines de l’assistance visuelle et de l’accessibilité des images pour les personnes malvoyantes. En raison de sa complexité, un système de sonification d’image qui traduit correctement les données d’image en son de manière intuitive n’est pas facile à concevoir. Notre première contribution est de proposer un nouveau système de sonification d’image de bas-niveau qui utilise une approche hiérarchique basée sur les caractéristiques visuelles. Il traduit, à l’aide de notes musicales, la plupart des propriétés d’une image (couleur, gradient, contour, texture, région) vers le domaine audio, de manière très prévisible et donc est facilement ensuite décodable par l’être humain. Notre deuxième contribution est une application Android de sonification de haut niveau qui est complémentaire à notre première contribution car elle implémente la traduction des objets et du contenu sémantique de l’image. Il propose également une base de données pour la sonification d’image. Finalement dans le domaine de l’audio, notre dernière contribution généralise le motif binaire local (LBP) à 1D et le combine avec des descripteurs audio pour faire de la classification de sons environnementaux. La méthode proposée surpasse les résultats des méthodes qui utilisent des algorithmes d’apprentissage automatique classiques et est plus rapide que toutes les méthodes de réseau neuronal convolutif. Il représente un meilleur choix lorsqu’il y a une rareté des données ou une puissance de calcul minimale. / The objective of this thesis is to study on the one hand the problem of image sonification and to solve it through new models of mapping between visual and sound domains. On the other hand, to study the problem of sound classification and to solve it with methods which have proven track record in the field of image recognition. Image sonification is the translation of image data (shape, color, texture, objects) into sounds. It is used in vision assistance and image accessibility domains for visual impaired people. Due to its complexity, an image sonification system that properly conveys the image data to sound in an intuitive way is not easy to design. Our first contribution is to propose a new low-level image sonification system which uses an hierarchical visual feature-based approach to translate, usingmusical notes, most of the properties of an image (color, gradient, edge, texture, region) to the audio domain, in a very predictable way in which is then easily decodable by the human being. Our second contribution is a high-level sonification Android application which is complementary to our first contribution because it implements the translation to the audio domain of the objects and the semantic content of an image. It also proposes a dataset for an image sonification. Finally, in the audio domain, our third contribution generalizes the Local Binary Pattern (LBP) to 1D and combines it with audio features for an environmental sound classification task. The proposed method outperforms the results of methods that uses handcrafted features with classical machine learning algorithms and is faster than any convolutional neural network methods. It represents a better choice when there is data scarcity or minimal computing power.